Conquest of Evil Offshots
by Shadow Ranger
Summary: Some events take place outside of the normal reality.
1. Game Over Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Power Rangers. They belong to their respective copyright owners along with all associated characters. Noah, Solomos, Trelayne and the other Externals are based on a number of sources, including the Q and the Continuum come from Star Trek the Next Generation, Trelayne comes from the Original Series episode Squire of Gothos. The start scene where they are staring into the bowl was taken from Jason and the Argonauts. Some Star Wars related concepts belong to Lucas Arts and the respective copyright owners. The One is based on a number of characters that belong to DC Comics, Image Dream Wave and Marvel. Jenga is the property of Jeremy Ray Logsdon, and Ma'erok is the main bad guy in Hellfire's abandoned New Enemy Saga and Age of Chaos storyline.  
Authors Note: This is a fanfic based in the COE multiverse and follows its own timeline. The events depicted take place between The Beginning and the end of the Minion saga. This chapter is intended as a review of the history of the COE universe as well as offering an insight into the Externals. This story is an Offshot Story, while its events are pertinent to future storylines and it is recommended that you read it, it can be overlooked.

**Game Over Part One**

In the early days of the Universe, at a time before the war between Good and Evil had really started, there had been the Collective: the first attempt to create living beings in the new universe. The experiment had failed, the lifeforms created were too selfish to follow the path set before them. Instead of fighting out the battle between Good and Evil, they made peace amongst themselves and fought the one who had created them.

In anger their creator had thrown his creations out of his new universe, forcing them to reside in a place beyond the normal boundaries of planets, galaxies, universes, realms, dimensions and even realities that the human mind was capable of perceiving. It was a completely separate, a different plane within a different reality, outside of their creator's realm yet still a part of it. It was there that they remained, evolving rapidly over a few centuries until they reached an evolutional peak of near omnipotence. They were a self-policing society where the many applied the pressure needed to force the few to conform to the rules. For the most part though they were indifferent beings with a tendency to cause chaos. Good and evil meant very little to this race that referred to themselves as Externals.

Some members of their race were prepared to reside within the Collective. They were considered almost respectable by their standards. There were others who chose to enter alternate universes and mingle with the residents. While some of those interactions could be described as curiosity, many were just plain malicious. One External had been so badly behaved that he had been stripped of his powers and dumped naked on the bridge of a star ship in a distant reality.

Outside of their domain - for they had eventually grown beyond the boundaries set by their creator, the Externals possessed incredible powers. Whether those powers were purely magical, technological, a combination of both or even some type of cosmic energy was unknown. They wielded almost unlimited power and were capable of breaking some of the laws of nature, although not even they could destroy energy.

Eventually their original purpose was forgotten, although they could not escape the urging deep within to take sides in the battle between Good and Evil. Instead of taking an active role as had been intended, they developed games that would allow them to turn the war into a game, manipulating those who had evolved following their banishment. They did not see themselves as soldiers, rather as the generals sitting behind the lines.

It was in this domain of the almost godlike race, which could be interpreted as a three-bedroom semidetached house with a garage - for nature of the Collective was beyond the understanding of most outsiders - that angry shouts could be heard.

"You cannot do that!"

"But I already have. Anything goes, remember?"

The sound of raised voices was an occurrence within the Collective. For a long time things had been boring, but when one External had reached the decision to create a son, with his wife's help of course, other members of the Collective had followed suit. A new generation of Externals had been born and unlike their parents they were once again finding enjoyment in the Universe.

Unfortunately the younger generation had proven rebellious, some breaking the rules that even the worst behaved member of the Collective had followed. They had taken to directly interfering in the lives of the lesser beings, making them act in ways that were against their nature. It was such an act of interference that had caused the argument that was currently disrupting the peace and boredom of the Collective.

Solomos made his way to where the two Externals were arguing; unlike their parents, they had taken a name to identify themselves as individuals in addition to their appearances. He groaned as he laid eyes on a huge stone bowl containing a silvery liquid. The children had obviously been experimenting with the good versus evil thing again. It was perfectly normal to sit and watch events, maybe even to place bets on the outcome. Only this time it seemed that one of them had gone beyond the acceptable role of an observer and had decided to interfere.

Solomos peered into the pool and groaned. Why couldn't the kid have done something half-hearted for once? The interference had caused the destruction of an entire universe and had destabilised the neighbouring realities; his curiosity was piqued.

"How did you accomplish this?" he asked.

He noticed that one of the boys had a disgusted look upon his face while the other appeared proud of himself. Neither chose to answer, which Solomos found tremendously aggravating. Remembering that he was an incredibly powerful entity and not some mediocre being, he used his innate senses to search the recent history of a dying universe.

"What did you do with it?" he asked finally, unsure whether to be angry or impressed at the young External's ingenuity.

The younger entity opened his clenched fist, revealing a swirling ball of energy.

"So this is the cause of all that chaos?" Solomos asked, "I would have expected something more impressive from you."

It had been a cheap shot, no question about it. In order to win his bet, the young eternal had cheated, and had then been unable to destroy the evidence had been forced to hold onto it.

"So now the game universe you were allowed to watch and everything inside it has been destroyed, correct?" Both Externals nodded. "Fine," he said, his pleasant manner dissolving. He turned to the loser. "Pay him. And you," he said to the winner, "reverse the process and restore things to how they should be. Now! These games have been played for thousands of years. What do you think the players will do when they go to make their next move and discover that you have messed up their hard -- work?"

The younger entity seemed to take a step back, stuttering about how he couldn't reverse the process and that it was impossible to create a whole universe.

"So much for having potential," Solomos muttered. "For such a creative being, you think like some of the humans I've met." He turned to the other youth. "Well, any ideas or do you want to spend a century sweeping up Dark Matter?"

"Go back to a point where the universe existed and follow it through to the point where it was destroyed?"

"And then?" he asked, slightly amused.

"We can stop the pause events long enough to prevent the change."

Solomos paused in thought. It was a wasteful effort; there were far easier ways to accomplish such a feat, but if the younger eternal wanted to make more work for himself, so be it. If anything the tedium of watching the history of a doomed universe would encourage the child to think next time.

"Very well," he agreed before clicking his fingers. "Let's get on with it."

He realised as he did so that this was his opportunity to teach the young Externals about the games and why they were taken so seriously. Perhaps with the rivalry between the two future games would become unnecessary.

Though they were inside the Collective, Solomos had arranged their view so that it focussed outside of any particular reality, into the fabric of the multiverse itself.

"For a period nothing existed within the darkness until the universe appeared. Large, filled with many interesting sights, it remained that way for a long time until the first reaction between strains of proteins created life."

The two young Externals watched with something close to awe and their older companion could understand their feelings. There were few sights that could inspire the imagination of the External, but this was close. One of his young companions grinned wickedly at the prospect of having some fun and twitched the corner of his mouth, adjusting the effects of gravity and slowing the reaction. He had wanted to slow, reverse and then repeat the process as a show of his developing control. Unfortunately he could only master the first part, causing the newborn universe to cease.

"Stop that!" Solomos snapped.

The damage was done; there was nothing he could do to correct his young companion's idiocy. He promptly considered removing the young hellion's powers and leaving him to float in the void for a few thousand years. But that wouldn't correct the problem he had come to solve.

"If you mess about again, Trelayne," he told the misbehaving child, "I will plunge you into a black hole."

"Look," the other youth cried, pointing to the rapidly shrinking universe.

Solomos looked and was relieved to see that the interference had not caused irreparable damage; the Universe was not just fading to nothingness as he had feared and given what they were witnessing, this interference had only aided the natural process.

"Oh no," Solomos groaned as he laid eyes upon the sole life form of the original universe, a luminous creature who stood at the origin point and struggled to survive the explosion. From his face it was clear that he knew that it would soon come to an end. Solomos flashed him a reassuring smile, certain that the entity would survive his existence was not guaranteed.

The end arrived as the deflated universe reached a critical mass and exploded once again, breaking free of its boundaries as the fabric of the old universe was torn and the new multiple universes burst forth into existence. While all the matter of the old universe was expelled into its successor, much of the energy not used in the explosion remained behind. Over time the energy would create holes in the fabric that held it, leaking into the new universes as the phenomenon that would one day be called magic.

Existence started to expand again, differently this time as the mass of energy split apart, forming an uncountable number of realities, some linked together, others completely isolated. The One as Solomos decided the sole survivor of the old universe should be called, bore witness to the birth of the new, his stance unwavering as the explosive energy erupted around him. Physically immune to the destruction, he found that the new multiverse was vastly different from the single universe he had known. He had been born in the old universe, but he was without question a part of these new ones. He was the spirit, sentience and the central balance of this collection of universes, beyond the comprehension of its future inhabitants.

Raised to a point beyond his previous level of being, The One was stripped of his physical form as his being was spread across the universes in his care. His mental functions seemed to disappear although in truth his awareness had been expanded to the point where he was omnipotent and omnipresent; at that level he was too distracted by important matters to acknowledge the normal inhabitants of a single universe. As the spiritual embodiment of his existence, he created a number of abstract beings that would one day represent the conceptual nature of the new universes and beings of a more material nature, the ancestors of those who would eventually one day occupy billions of worlds.

"There," Solomos said, picking out the single universe that the younger Externals had been playing with. Somehow it would appear that Trelayne's actions had been preordained. "Now we just need to ensure that these events follow the desired course. And since you two were so obsessed with Good and Evil, watch closely and learn."

"Why don't we accelerate this process?" Trelayne asked.

"Don't - you - dare!" Solomos warned. He pointed to the being known as The One. "We are omnipotent only inside the Collective, guests in this place, especially here, almost all powerful. That creature there has absolute power, he could erase the Collective with a thought. Anger him and you will find there are things even an External cannot survive. Standing against the creator is one such thing."

The One remained aware of what was happening in the Universe. He created six creature to help him understand the nature of his creation. Three of them represented the three facets of creation. They were universal concepts that were unchanging and completely in balance. Of the others, only two interested him: the Light God and the Chaos Bringer. The Light God represented light and order while the Chaos Bringer was a manifestation of chaos and darkness. They were morally, intellectually and spiritually diverse and it appeared that they were doomed to clash violently.

"The Light God and Chaos Bringer represented concepts that reached beyond the boundaries of a single universe," Solomos explained. "It was only fitting that their war would also reach beyond those limitations. The struggle would stretch beyond a single universe, testing the very limits of the multiverse."

It was their nature to fight, light against dark, and order against chaos to the extent where they would ultimately destroy each other without regard for the rapidly expanding cosmos around them. While the Light God and the Chaos Bringer's battle was one for the survival of existence.

The battle between the Light God and the Chaos Bringer slipped beyond the boundaries of a single universe, the outcome of their war threatening the existence of a whole multiverse. And since their fighting affected those around them, the battle was joined by the early lifeforms that had followed in their wake.

Before long, the Chaos Bringer left the Universe, but not before vowing to return one day when he would destroy the place of his birth. The Light God followed, but unaware of his enemy's destiny, he was forced to cover all eventualities. The Light God divided his essence, sending a part of himself to each universe. Once there they would slumber until his enemy appeared. Now weaker than his enemy, he would need to find others to ad his battle should the time come.

Remembering the Chaos Bringer's vow to one day return to the universe where he had originated, The Light God chose to create a force of thirteen warriors to fight in his place, avatars to lead the fight against the darkness. One he named Paladin and entrusted him to be the first holder of the energy matrix where he had stored his essence. Another he charged with accumulating knowledge for when it was needed, using a similar matrix for the task. The others were tasked with similar roles to ensure that in his absence, order was retained. Some were given a matrix to protect or use to complete their task while others were left empty handed.

What the Light God had not realised was that one of the children who had not been given a matrix to protect, had been tainted by the Chaos Bringer's darkness. He was named Darke, and in the Light God's absence, attacked his brethren. Some were slain, others were thrown beyond the boundaries of the universe until only Darke and Paladin remained to fight.

They looked on as time passed concentrating on the battle between Paladin and Darke. As the war continued and each side gained followers, creatures made of energy that fought at their side, each with their own level of awareness and prowess. They joined together in purpose, forming two opposing armies, directed by either Paladin or Darke. They clashed over and over again; their battles laying waste to many a world and even stars were sacrificed in the name of victory.

"Magnificent," Trelayne commented. He had always had an admiration for war and violence.

Solomos shrugged, not really caring enough to answer. His attention was focussed on ensuring that events followed the correct course.

The war between the two dominated the universe as the warriors drew supporters and the two sides battled. For eons as the universe continued to take shape, neither side was able to hold an advantage. For each warrior cut down on one side, so a member of the opposing army was slain. As Paladin's forces were vanquished, they willingly transferred their remaining energies to golden medals, each the size of a small coin and abandoned their physical bodies to become entities of pure light.

Their opponents were not allowed such a luxury of existing beyond their death. As punishment for losing, they were vanquished to the Shadow World, a place where they would endure torment and misery until they were released again; over time the Shadow World would become splintered and mistakenly referred to as the Dark Dimension.

"They're powerful, I never thought they could exist at that size," the young eternal remarked.

"You're thinking of mortals," Solomos reminded him. "Those two are definitely not mortal." He was right; Paladin and Darke were easily large enough to fill a star system at full size. The planets were just footballs for the two behemoths.

In the end though it did not matter, whose army had the most fighters. Paladin was far more powerful than most of those he fought and the Chaos Bringer's successor had quickly proved himself just as powerful. So even when Paladin had lost all his warriors and Darke retained three of his generals, it was not a guaranteed victory for evil.

As the first life forms continued to emerge on the increasing number of habitable worlds, so did the ever intensifying war; Paladin and Darke showed no signs of stopping. Along the way their battle touched many creatures. Some were drawn to the side of evil, their lust for power enticing them into Darke's service in return for the power his master could grant them, while others joined with Paladin. These were a new breed of followers and in some ways more dedicated to their cause than their predecessors. They continued to grow into two large armies, but neither side had the power to make a difference... yet.

The full potential of the energy seeping into the new universe through the fabric that sealed it from its predecessor had yet to be discovered. The energies were still evolving. At such an early time though the discipline to master and focus such energies were beyond the grasp of all but the most powerful creatures. The two battling entities soon changed that. Their war revealed the possibilities to the masses and soon the opposing forces discovered how to use the energies they were exposed to.

Paladin and Darke showed no signs of stopping. Along the way their battle touched many creatures. Some were drawn to the side of evil, their lust for power enticing them into Darke's service in return for the power his master could grant them, while others joined with Paladin. This represented a new breed of followers and in some ways more dedicated to their cause than their predecessors. They continued to grow into two large armies, but neither side had the power to make a difference... yet.

The full potential of the energy seeping into the new universe through the fabric that sealed it from its predecessor had yet to be discovered. The energies were still evolving. At such an early time though the discipline to master and focus such energies were beyond the grasp of all but the most powerful creatures. The two battling entities soon changed that. Their war revealed the possibilities to the masses and soon the opposing forces discovered how to use the energies they were exposed to.

Even in those times it was easier to be evil than it was to be good. Those who followed Darke and his disciples were taught to channel magic through symbols and written words. Later they would discover the ability of trap power inside an inanimate object such as a wand or to use the conductive properties of some atoms as a means of directing energy. As the final and ultimately the most effective means, some of the older and most loyal followers allowed others to take copy their bodies. By using these sinister outer forms they could draw on the mystical powers directly. Some could already direct magic in their natural form and were rapidly incorporated into the Army of Darkness. These demons were few in number.

The forces led by Paladin on the other hand lacked the ability to naturally draw on the power without a conduit. Those who could do so were limited in their strength. They were forced to find safe ways to channel the energies. Some copied the use of books and wands to contain magic whilst others discovered that gems and precious metals could also be used.

In the end though it did not matter, whose army had the most fighters or which group could draw the most power. The fight had always been between Paladin and Darke, and in the end those two would decide the outcome. The two armies came to a new battlefield, a primitive world that had only just started to solidify. There they fought what they claimed would be the last battle. It was a battle that would cost both sides dearly.

"Watch this carefully," Solomos advised. "I will be asking questions."

Paladin, the embodiment of all that was pure and good, was injured. His body, made of living armour that resembled the white plate metal worn by later knights, was battered. Lying still on the ground, he gazed up into the blackened sky. He tried to reach out to the energy of the cosmos, that which had sustained him throughout the war, but his injuries were such that he found it impossible to focus on the energy.

With the bulk of his army scattered, this final battle had become a rout. He had been trying to rally his forces, any forces at all, when out of the smog had emerged three of Darke's freakish followers. They were ugly brutes, powerful without question and fodder to distract Paladin long enough for Darke to arrive and land a successful blow.

They had circled around him, just beyond the reach of his sword, neither attacking nor parrying, laughing at the rewards they would reap for destroying their master's most hated enemy.

He had known that they were delaying, he had seen it in their movements. They had wanted to attack and take the kill, but to do so would have robbed Darke of his rightful slaughter. Instead they had him caged while they waited for their master to savour the glory.

He had raised his sword, allowing his energy to flow through the skilfully crafted blade. The ruby in the hilt had glowed brightly as he and the weapon became a single entity, moving with precision and grace. The sword had shone and caused his opponents to back up, ready for the attack.

Instead he had made to retreat, knowing that like a pack of wild beasts they would sense weakness and move in closer.

Three against one. His sword leapt eagerly out and slew the first two with a single swing that threw Paladin off balance.

The third attacker had ducked and lashed out with his own sword. He had brought the blade in low and caught Paladin on the right knee. Paladin had stumbled, surprised that the blow had affected him, but his sword had swung itself around and cleaved off the attacker's arm.

The burst of dark energy had caught him by surprise and had torn through his side. Darke had been waiting for the opportunity to strike. It had been a cowardly blow, but one that was undeniably effective. Darke had loomed over him, waiting for the moment when he could end the war.

Paladin and Darke were complex creatures, but they were not completely indestructible. Both had taken semi-mortal forms, which could be slain with a great deal of difficulty, since that was the only way in which they could truly fight. In such forms they could be injured, but would only die if they remained in that form when it expired. On the many occasions that one or the other had perished, they had simply abandoned the physical form and claimed another.

Even a nanosecond before death would have been sufficient time to escape since to do required only that he open his visor. And there in lay the trap.

"A human I once knew told me that the eyes are the windows to the soul," Solomos told his companions. "In this case that description is very apt. The manifestation of their essence is contained behind their visors and can be released with a single gesture. At that moment they are vulnerable." He turned to Trelayne. "You should appreciate the tactic."

Darke had ensured that escape would not be a possibility. He had positioned himself in front of his fallen enemy and charged a ball of dark energy. At the point when the visor opened, there would be a brief period during which he could blast his opponent's soul. To do so would have ensured his demise.

Paladin had looked up at his enemy and knew that regardless of his actions, he would not leave the battlefield. Darke had been clever when he had orchestrated the trap and left Paladin in a no win situation. That had not meant though that Paladin had lost. He had still had one option available to him.

He waited, watching as Darke continued to gloat over his triumph. He waited for the moment of weakness, when Darke's attention was elsewhere for a brief period, and then he chose to act, using his remaining strength to recreate his essence in thirteen new bodies.

"So he replicated new soldiers, so what?" Trelayne asked, confused.

"Look again and this time, remember you are an External," Solomos told him. "Those aren't just new soldiers, they are living extensions of himself. True he won't be able to maintain this feat for long, probably only as long as he remains alive. Look at them, look at the power they possess."

"So Darke doesn't stand a chance?" Trelayne asked.

"Paladin has won," Solomos answered.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Trelayne muttered, forgetting Solomos' earlier warning and making a few changes of his own.

Paladin and his duplicates circled Darke. Pooling their resources, they attacked, thirteen powerful warriors against one. Darke was on the brink of collapse, his body damaged beyond repair as Paladin struggled to his feet and raised his sword, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Now," Trelayne whispered.

The blade pierced Paladin's back just as his sword was descending toward Darke. Paladin's own creations, sabotaged by Trelayne, had turned on him.

"What did you do?" Solomos demanded as the thirteen variants of Paladin merged once more. A black hole had appeared from nowhere, which Solomos assumed was Trelayne's doing.

"I took control of them and ordered them to attack."

Solomos glared angrily and then clicked his fingers. Trelayne promptly vanished as he was sent spinning into a super nova a few galaxies away.

"It's not over yet," the younger being reminded him, pointing to where the battle had resumed. Darke had fought viciously after Paladin's creations had vanished. Still the battle had taken its toll. When Darke finally turned to destroy the fallen hero, he was blasted by Paladin's remaining energy. Mortally wounded, Darke had tried to escape his physical form only to find his essence sucked into a black hole.

The younger eternal spared his companion a nervous grin. "Two can play at cheating."

Solomos let out a frustrated groan, reminding himself to retrieve Trelayne in a few minutes.

Paladin sought out a planet, where he collapsed, unable even to summon the strength he needed to clean his sword. His life was all but over; he had spent too long inside his dying shell. His energy exhausted to the point where he couldn't be sure his visor would respond if he had been capable of touching the release. His time had come and all he could really do was ensure that his legacy would live on in the hearts of all good beings. His sword, shield and armour would be left for those that would use them, but to ensure that only those worthy of doing so claimed them, he provided them with the sentience need to judge them worthy.

He smiled once again as he felt his body turn to dust particles, which started to swirl at intense speed. The universe loved balance and he was a cosmic being, a part of that balance. He would not survive to see the universe evolve, but Darke was forever sealed where he could not cause harm. And the energy matrix that had marked Paladin as the leader of the Army of Light? The was buried in the explosion energy that heralded his death, safely hidden from that that would abuse it.

Yes, he could sense it now, the fading of his physical form and the lack of universal awareness. He would survive, but not in his current role. The helmet shaped metal that had served as his head had been blown from his shoulders as the superheated dust particles combusted. The ash generated cooled as soon as it exited his body, its own gravity causing it to compact until it formed a crystal like substance inside of which his essence resided. Here he would remain; a counter to evil should the fight ever become desperate enough to seek him out. Paladin, the embodiment of all that was good and pure, was at peace within the universe, died.

"Does that tell you enough about good and evil?" Solomos asked.

His companion nodded, his curiosity sated.

"Good, we can move on then. This isn't meant to be an educational trip."

"So what happened next?" the younger eternal asked.

"Darke had been consumed by the black hole, but his followers remained and some of them were powerful enough to try to take his place," Solomos explained. As he spoke the events flashed by, it was clear that Solomos was speeding up time to save himself having to stand around for too long. "Of course there had to be balance, and while Darke was a powerful entity capable of defeating Paladin and his disciples, his followers lacked that power. In fact, by comparison they were weaklings, with one obvious exception and he was only too eager to head away from his brothers. With them assuming control of the dark forces, Paladin's creations moved on to find those they could fight fairly. It's a moral failing of most so-called good guys. They refuse to fight those weaker than themselves. The bad guys just like to think there is nobody who can defeat them."

The war between good and evil shifted away from the conceptual beings of light and energy to the lesser beings of existence. Unlike Darke, who existed only to destroy all that was good, his successors had ambition and initiative. The Dark Gods as they were known worked to establish their own forces. Each claiming their own territory, the mighty Poneros, the invincible Oligar, the scheming Haz'tur, the disfigured Javius and the machine goddess Hysteria, along with their lesser siblings Nore, Gorg, Mu and finally Ramon.

"As the centuries passed, the lines were drawn as the forces of Good and Evil faced each other on multiple fronts," Solomos explained. "Each side claimed their own territory, the realms of Heaven and Hell, identical in that while a part of reality they were actually separated from the mainstream universe. Soon the surviving representatives of Darke chose to remain in Hell and direct their forces from there. They gave life to the beings that would one day become recognised as devils and demons. It's a very primitive and rather messy process."

The realms of Heaven and Hell evolved over time, shifting further outside of the universe as they crisscrossed through the other realms, realities and dimensions alike. It had even been suggested that the two domains were linked to every universe throughout the multiverse; only the context of their existence differed as religion and beliefs in the mortal realm differed from planet to planet and from one universe to the next.

With the separation came the lesser gods, angels, devils and demons, four forces in the battle between good and evil that rarely saw the opportunity to battle. The noble gods willingly influenced life on many worlds while the selfless angels never abandoned their oath of loyalty to the light and bravely fought to vanquish the evil. The two groups occupied the realm known as Heaven, partially sealed from the mortal universe. For the most part mortals were unaware of their presence as they observed the lower species. The angels were the enforcers while the gods rarely left their realm.

Heaven was conceptually beyond the grasp of mortal minds. However, if they were to imagine the realm as a large chain of interlinked galaxies, one galaxy for each family of gods and their respective followers, they would be close to the truth. Many of these worlds were transformed to house mortals deemed worthy of entry once their lives were over.

Hell in comparison had a very similar make up in that it had dimensions dominated by Poneros and his siblings with smaller territories being awarded to some of the newer demons and devils. In addition to areas of comfort for its rulers, it also had worlds created for the sole purpose of tormenting those mortals who fell within its jurisdiction.

The realm contained kingdoms of demons, some lacking physical bodies and existing purely as spirits, others resembling hideous beasts and creatures made of strange matter. They were ambitious, willing to wage all out war on the forces of good in their bid for power over the mortal realms.

And then there were the devils, the most evil of the grouping, who knew the truth about the power the lesser demons sought and who were every bit as daring in their schemes as the gods were brave. For them ambition and timing were inseparable. While the demons strived to dominate the mortals' universe, the devils preferred to conquer one soul at a time.

Both realms contained powerful entities capable of manipulating mortals on a mental, physical and magical level. Only the soul was immune to these influences since the only way a soul could be controlled is if the individual wished it to be controlled.

However, as the realms grew larger, so the cost of intervention in the world of mortals became ever greater, making such an act physically impossible. No longer could a demon set foot in the mortal world and use his great power to subjugate the population; angels were not allowed to carry out pointless campaigns for the greater good. At least, not without significant cost.

Gods, angels, devils and demons alike could freely enter the mortal realms by sacrificing their greater powers and descending to mortal levels. In the case of the physical gods, angels and devils, that meant they could take on an almost normal appearance whilst demons were forced to maintain their hideous bodies. In doing so they limited their chances of accomplishing their goals. Those who existed in a spiritual form had to find a host. Dead bodies, plants and even rocks were acceptable hosts. Some spirits even managed to manipulate technology and inhabit everyday objects.

The main problem was that once they entered the mortal realm directly, their bodies were prone to damage. Spawning was the favoured solution to this problem since most minor demons were capable of creating an exact likeness of themselves, duplicating both physical and mental attributes. When their old body tired or was destroyed, they simply transferred their consciousness to the replacement form.

The other alternative was to transcend the realms through indirect means. By allowing themselves to be summoned, they retained most of their powers and providing they were strong willed, they were free to act. In some cases though they were bound to act as the slaves of those that summoned them. It was the mortals who devised the ceremonies that in effect created a binding contract between the demon and the mortal. The spells required a focus that if destroyed, would send the demon back to Hell. Some demons chose to simply use the access granted by such spells to intervene on behalf of a mortal in return for a soul they could enjoy devouring, most often a child. Lokar was one such demon having consumed Rita's unborn infant.

The problems with being summoned were eventually nullified when it was discovered that they could inhabit the body of a willing mortal. All that mortal had to do was accept the offer of power and riches in return for their soul. Many demons used these rituals as ways to access the mortal realms and spread their influence. Since they could provide a way to channel the power of the Morphin Grid, few hosts ever rejected them.

For gods and devils alike, there was no such need for ceremony. On the rare occasion that either side entered the mortal realms, they did so in mortal form. Should they want to remain there they needed only to mate with a mortal. The gods of course had moral objections to such acts, but over time their intervention in the affairs of lesser beings dwindled.

Devils however mated whenever they wished, selecting their partners carefully for physical traits. Consensual sex was preferred since in that moment of passion their lover failed to realise the true face of their lover. However, a virgin sacrificed in their name was just as acceptable. Either way, the soul belonged to the devil involved.

If the devil in question was female though, the offspring had the potential to become even more powerful. It could be born in either realm, but was stuck there following birth. However, if born in the mortal realms it would retain the powers of its mother while looking perfectly normal. Such vile offspring could change at will into a demonic form, which allowed them to use the power of the Morphin Grid.

"This isn't the history I remember," the younger eternal mentioned.

"There are some changes, no doubt caused by Trelayne's idiocy," Solomos agreed.

"Will it cause problems?"

Solomos considered the answer. All changes no matter how small had consequences although whether those amendments would prove beneficial or problematic was unclear. In the end he just shrugged, signalling for his young charge to keep watching while he pulled Trelayne into the path of a comet.

"For most demons existence is a complex society of politics and treachery," Solomos explained, using his limited understanding of such things. "Raw power alone is never enough to guarantee superiority and no position within the ranks of evil can be considered truly safe. By splitting into multiple entities, the evil force ensured its survival, but it also created infighting between the factions. Now, for a passing grade in alien cultures and organisations, tell me what you know about the High Clan?"

"The Adversary created the High Clan as part of his domain. Although it is an elite band of evil beings, its power and influence are mostly through trickery," his young charge observed. "The names... Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Old Nick and the others, they're mostly creatures from mythology on human worlds. There's no evidence that they've ever been seen together."

It was true; the High Clan's more dominant personalities were actually one-entity. Each had their own area of the Adversary's kingdom to control alongside their own sinister hobbies. In all it added to the illusion of the Adversary's strength and added to his reputation.

Satan was the one most feared on account of his hideous form. He spent most of his time in Hell torturing those poor souls that fell to the darkness. Lucifer, the beautiful being that many mistook for a fallen angel was more likely to be invited around for tea and biscuits. In Solomos' opinion it was clear which of the two was the most dangerous; Lucifer might shake hands and smile, but eventually the poor victim would realise he was missing an arm.

"So there we are. History has changed a little. In the original timeline Darke's forces fell under the leadership of powerful siblings who renewed the war and eventually retired to Hell where they could direct events." Solomos looked beyond the present and nodded. "It also appears that some of the major demon lines, such as those from which Zedd and Master Vile will one day descend, are linked to these first evils."

"Well that is one good thing, they survived."

"Unfortunately Trelayne's intervention changed them. Lord Zedd and Master Vile were supposed to have been demons who had the ability to take on the features of humans. If this change is any indication, then they're now humans who have surrendered their souls in return for the power the demons could offer. They act as a conduit for the demon to remain in this realm."

"I guess we'd better keep looking," the youth said as Trelayne reappeared, his clothes covered with black soot.

"I suppose so," Solomos agreed, but there was no mistaking the boredom in his tone. "From here the war between good and evil becomes more drawn out, the battles less frequent but just as violent. It also marks the move away from the use of raw cosmic energy and the first appearance of the phenomenon known as the Power, which the creatures of this reality deem so important."

Once again the three were transported through time and space, events unfolding before them as they monitored billions of years in a matter of seconds.

"Where are we now?" Trelayne asked.

"You have senses, use them," Solomos answered warningly. He had no patience for the bratty kid. "If you must know, this is the Vordarian Beltway Galaxy, Eight hundred and fifty trillion light years from the nearest inhabited galaxy. This is the place where a purely evil battle took place between three powerful agents of evil; Jenga the Immortal Queen of Evil given the power of a devil, Ma'erok the Slayer of Worlds and in his own right the Dark One, and Naarkh, a being that sought to emulate the two stronger villains.

Of the three, Naarkh was the weakest, most inexperienced and had the most questionable bloodlines. When the three fought, he was thrown out of the Galaxy, which then disappeared as the other continued their fighting. Weakened by his defeat, Naarkh was forced to claw his way back to power again."

"This must be about one hundred and seventy million years before that Galaxy you used to enjoy visiting even formed," his young companion reminded him Solomos smiled fondly, messing with the Earthlings had at one time been a favourite activity among the Externals.

"This galaxy was one of the first to form from the explosion, but slow to develop. Still, it did boast some of the most successful systems of government ever known," Trelayne said, eager to prove that he knew something important. The others ignored him and continued their own assessment of their location.

"So what happens next?" one of the youths asked.

"Well even though he was weaker than Jenga and Ma'erok, evil such as Naarkh could not be erased totally, the scars left behind took time to heal."

Trelayne smiled. "See, told you evil was better."

"Oh give it a rest."

Time passed, millions of years in the blink of an eye. Naarkh slowly regained his power, but his defeat had left him mortal and lacking whatever demon had once gifted him its power.

"Naarkh was an interesting creature," Solomos noted. "He possessed an incredible amount of potential, but seemed incapable of unlocking that potential. He chose to lurk in the background, awaiting his time to strike. So far that time has not come although he has probably watched the attempts of every other villain since, starting with Trannis. "

Trannis was the descendant of an ancient Power-wielding race. Gifted with the ability to absorb energy from others, after raising an army of followers, he journeyed from one galaxy to the next, conquering all planets in their path.

Trannis' fleet had many advantages over their enemies, from ships that could strip a planet of its vital minerals and turn them into ships, to soldiers trained to use the radical new energy known as the Power. Perhaps the greatest weapon was Trannis himself, who armed with his ring and a sword he had crafted from star metal, could destroy entire planets with a single blow.

"The trouble with large empires," Solomos observed as they watched the fleet building their territory, "is that they take generations to build and mere years to fall apart."

"Such organisation," Trelayne said, "imagine if we Externals were to unite our efforts or better still, if we were allowed to lead these forces."

"We do not interfere in the affairs of lesser beings," Solomos reminded him. "Why can't you understand that?"

Noah, the third member of their little party, had remained silent during the exchange, watching as the number of territories increased.

"Look how far they've come."

In millions of years they had conquered countless galaxies. However, it was millions of years since they had departed from their home worlds and that constant stream of conquests was about to come to an end. For the fleet had arrived just outside of the Milky Way galaxy.

The Power had also changed over time. It was no longer possible to wield complete control over the Power. In this part of the Universe, the Power had become fractured into separate spheres of magic and psychic energy. This area of space held new challenges that Trannis promised to meet head on.

As Trannis' progress slowed, the Milky Way was experiencing a golden age. It was a time when the extra-dimensional energy known as magic - for it quickly became evident that there was more than one type of energy seeping in from beyond the boundaries of the mainstream reality - played a greater and greater role in the day-to-day lives of the population. Their understanding of what they had come to refer to as the Power was as limited as Trannis' understanding of this phenomenon. Still, a few theories had surfaced about its use.

The agents that Trannis had dispatched easily recognised the Guardians, self-styled defenders of all that was good, ignoring the views of those they were meant to protect, as the only real resistance in the new galaxy. Trannis recognised them as possible successors to Paladin's legacy and vowed to wipe them out.

"A sound strategy," Trelayne commented. "Deal with the greatest threats and the rest will fold."

"I really hope that you never need to lead an army," Solomos muttered. He turned to Noah. "What follows is probably the most abysmal display by any military force and show the deterioration of an organisation that had been unchallenged for so long that they forgot how to respond to threats. These are the Guardians, whose attitude is still reflected by some leaders to this day. Sadly these creatures do not learn easily."

The planets of Devadec and Frostfall were the respective homes of the Galactic Council who administered events within the galaxy, and the elite group known as the Guardians who appointed themselves to defend it, with the aid of their apprentices of course. Devadec was a vast metropolis where the highflying politicians and businessmen could meet and trade while Frostfall was an organic world where those who believed in Guardians' cause and had the aptitude to wield the life changing energies of the Morphin Grid gathered.

Over time the need for separate planets became obvious as some of the Guardians tried to appoint themselves to the council. They were robbed of any illusion that they could take such actions, and as a result only succeeded in convincing members of the Galactic Council to place strict rules upon the way the Guardians handled their affairs.

Peace reigned throughout the Galaxy since very few dared to challenge the power of the forces of good. But as the Guardians and their political rulers started to believe they were invincible, their unwillingness to look beyond their galaxy would prove their undoing; beyond those boundaries the Universe was a sinister place.

While the Guardians and the Galactic Council were concerned with petty infighting, Trannis had mobilised a new expeditionary force, leaving many of his followers behind to expand his army.

"Pure genius," Trelayne said. "His empire covers over a quadrillion light years and he has probably conquered a tenth of that personally."

"Then how can he claim to have conquered it?" Noah asked.

Trelayne looked smug, he clearly enjoyed assuming the role of tutor. "As he passed through a galaxy, Trannis would mobilise his forces to destroy those most likely to oppose him. Then once they were crippled he would take two thirds of his fleet and leave, allowing the force he left behind under the leadership of his genetic offspring to actually subjugate the population and raise new forces to join him. Of course they were helped by reinforcements from galaxies he had conquered previously, his force leading the charge and others following on behind to wipe out any dissenters."

Some of the territories he had conquered had subsequently annexed neighbouring galaxies and sent more subjects to the front line. Control of such a large empire proved difficult, Trannis maintained order with an iron fist. Careful placement of relay stations in each galaxy meant that a journey of centuries could be accomplished in hours.

Trannis' arrival outside the Milky Way was known before he entered the galaxy; news of the atrocities committed by some of his advanced forces made his name something to be feared. To the Guardians though he was considered just another villain trying to make a name for himself, which spoke of how great an impression his troops had made since the Guardians normally refused to acknowledge any threat beyond the boundary of their galaxy.

For once Trannis changed his strategy, choosing to further empower himself by destroying worlds on the outer fringes of the Milky Way, a move that would also solidify his empire. Billions of lives were lost on countless worlds as he terminated whole species to further his cause. From his throne world, Trannis looked upon his kingdom and directed the attacks. If the planet's defenders appeared suitable, he would descend, sword in hand to destroy them personally.

"You did it again, didn't you?" Solomos demanded.

Trelayne blanched. "I only suggested that now would be a good time to prepare his fleet for the battle to come."

"That's it!" Solomos was angry now, his eyes flashing with anger, causing a distant star to freeze. "I've had enough of this. What is it about the words 'do not interfere' do you fail to understand?"

Trelayne looked about nervously and decided he would rather be elsewhere. He clicked his fingers and nothing happened. He tried again and still found that nothing happened.

"If you can't be trusted to use your powers sensibly, you won't be allowed to use them at all," Solomos told him. "Now, remain quiet while we try to make sure you haven't messed anything else up." There was a pause. "I have no idea why you felt the need to create a whole planet or divide the Guardians from the Council. If you planned for the Guardians to seize power, you failed. The Galactic Council exists in the future but the Guardians are gone. And there is no such world as Devadec." He looked at Noah and explained. "The planet Frostfall was the first home of the Council and the place where they administered the galaxy with the aid of the Guardians."

Noah nodded, but there was no point in setting it right now.

It was a terrible mistake by the Guardians not to intervene as soon as Trannis entered their territory. By waiting and denying the threat that he posed, after the twelve worlds of the Zodia system fell to his forces, they lost the opportunity to put an end to his evil. Even when his brutality caught their attention, most considered the affairs of a lone solar system or the odd world to be of minor importance.

Some of the Guardians did fight, stepping outside of their roles and turning their backs on the ruling council. They called themselves the Galaxy Defenders and placed themselves on planets they thought Trannis would target. Most of those who did fight were killed, fuelling the Guardians' belief that non-interference was the safest and most prudent course of action. But while the Defenders' deaths did little to encourage the Guardians to uphold their oath of service, they inspired the ordinary populations of worlds under threat to take up arms; the Guardians' role was becoming less and less important as the people protected themselves.

A new armada of space ships was sent to battle Trannis' fleet. Thousands of people from hundreds of worlds all unified to defeat the threat. The Galactic Council turned their back on the Guardians, a move which made the Guardians protest and later threaten to replace the elected body of representatives with a body of their choosing. In the end the Guardians backed down and the Galactic Council moved to unite the people ready for war.

Despite losing the argument, the respect of the people and some of their respected members, the Guardians refused to join the campaign. They refused to sanction any action against Trannis and threatened those that took such action with severe sanctions. There was a growing fracture within the membership of the Guardians that served to strengthen Trannis' position. The war was being fought on too many fronts and Trannis' forces seemed to grow daily.

"So that was what you had in mind," Solomos realised. "In the original history the Guardians and the Galactic Council never allowed their disagreements to reach a point where one organisation attempted to replace the other."

"Trannis never attacked from multiple fronts either," Noah added.

"Originally eight students were sent to battle him directly," Solomos continued. "The split in the Guardians caused the organisation to split shortly before its demise. Although this did lead to the formation of the Masked Rider Corps, the Defenders, the Ninjetti and the Masters; the latter group made its new home on Eltare and despite changing their name to Morphin Masters, they have remained there ever since."

"See, my revised history is superior," Trelayne boasted. "Trannis is responsible for creating many of the protectors that exist in the future."

"I suppose," Solomos reluctantly agreed. "In the future, the Defenders mostly protect worlds that are deemed too small to warrant a Ranger team although there are still a few that patrol the galaxy as part of the Intergalactic Police Force. There has not been a team of Ninjetti for seven thousand years. Should there ever be a new team of Ninjetti they would be led by Dulcea, Master Warrior of the Ninjetti, on Phaedos."

"Hey, we're missing the battle!" Noah exclaimed.

It was a long and difficult battle, and the defending army was vastly outnumbered. It was through the use of underhanded tactics and unprecedented amounts of luck that they won a number of small victories that would eventually lead to Trannis' defeat. Outside of the galaxy, a small unit managed to destroy one of Trannis' relay stations. It was a small strike, but it effectively shutdown the emperor's communications lines and any possibility of reinforcements.

"In fact after a few months without contact, his forces will assume he is dead and will try to replace him," Solomos observed. "This one act destroyed his empire."

The second strike pitted the galaxy's fleet against one of Trannis' weaker fleets. The fleet was destroyed, bolstering the Council's forces and pushing them to fight even harder. Those Guardians that had joined the battle led their forces bravely. Their dedication and values meant they were highly respected and inspired others to improve themselves.

Trannis did not take the resistance lightly. He decided that both the Galactic Council and the Guardians were threats to his plans. And as other divisions of his fleet were destroyed, he realised that a message needed to be sent. As the defending army drove Trannis' forces from a planet they had recently conquered and destroyed his army of troops, he decided to make a decisive strike at the very heart of the Galactic Council and destroy the Guardians at the same time.

Trannis' chosen vessel, the mighty asteroid topped by a huge fortress. He called it Klattu-shaar, although just as many though of it as the Dark Fortress. Klattu-shaar was very large with an outer ring or rocks that acted like tugs to move it through space. The majority of the asteroid was made up of a huge castle. It was also capable of tearing planets to pieces and draining them of their vital resources. Its resistance to most forms of attack marked it as a potent weapon.

Leaving his fleet to obliterate the Council's armada, he directed the battle station into orbit around the planet Frostfall. From there he launched the bombardment of Devadec, unaware that the Galactic Council had already moved to the world of Erlion. After watching this act of open hostility, the Guardians finally decided to make preparations for his arrival. It was almost laughable that they hadn't expected him to destroy their world and he couldn't believe they were foolish enough to expect him to leave them alone if they failed to lift a hand against him. As soon as he saw that they were starting to become organised, he teleported to the surface and using his sword, plunged the world into oblivion.

"So the Guardians were destroyed. Did this happen before?"

"Yes," Solomos answered. "Although some things have changed, the basic history remains unchanged. I am starting to think that maybe the damage has already repaired itself"

It was hours later that Trannis returned to the scene of his greatest crime. There he witnessed the success of his weapon and decided to collect some spoils of war. He had heard stories of the Guardians and the treasures they held and in their vaults. After locating the vaults, he assigned one of his commanders to transfer their contents to Klattu-shaar where he could review them later. Meanwhile he turned his attention to other matters.

"Summon the Ambassadors!" His words were soft but few were stupid enough to ignore his commands. He glanced to one side as the words left his lips, and only looked away when one of the three females he counted as his closest advisers nodded.

"They have heard your word, Emperor," she announced dreamily.

She was a true seer, capable of viewing glimpses of the future and the activities of Trannis' forces in the present. It was an amazing ability passed down from mother to daughter, and one that came at the expense of her sanity. Currently she was lucid and perhaps at her most dangerous, but at other times she was like a child.

"Then let them come," he said, glancing to where another female, his bodyguard, was ready to defend her master should she need to. "There is no need for that," he promised. "You forget my servants would never harm me, would they?"

Although his faithful bodyguard remained silent, he could sense her eyes shifting to where the seer was staring vacantly into space.

"Or at least not without my knowing it."

Behind the bodyguard his third servant, a powerful sorceress, stood watching proceedings. While she didn't appear concerned, he could sense the energy crackling through her fingers ready to act.

Those he had summoned, each representing the most successful territories under his control had arrived. The four chief advisers were first, followed closely by his eight most senior generals. The Troobian representative named Gloram and Darkstorm, a nobleman with ideas above his station were last to enter. They were two of the more powerful leaders from territory Trannis had previously conquered. Gloram was the leader of the Troobian military, constantly seeking out new territory for Trannis, while Darkstorm wielded over a small domain with the aid of his wife and their son. Each served as Trannis' voice in those regions and were a vital part of his supply line.

He watched as they tried to remain subservient while wanting nothing more than the opportunity to rip each other's hearts out. It was no secret that they loathed each other, yet in confronting Trannis they presented a united front; personal issues aside, they were equally scared of Trannis.

Gloram was a dark robed figure. His hood concealed his face and what many described as a terrible disfigurement. In his right hand he carried a large long staff that many believed was an ornament rather than a weapon. He was of the opinion that a few generals, some disposable foot soldiers and a few specialist weapons were all that he needed to succeed. He was boastful of his abilities, his limited magic far beyond anything Darkstorm could accomplish, but never in the presence of Trannis.

Darkstorm was far more mundane. The king of a powerful kingdom, he was a capable commander and a skilled tactician, capable of manipulating the emotions of his enemies. Unfortunately Darkstorm's ambition was greater than his loyalty meaning there was little chance that Trannis could trust him long-term.

Darkstorm used a more traditional army to fight his battles even though such an approach was often wasteful; he destroyed conquered worlds just for the fun of it. If he couldn't find a weakness in a world he targeted, he didn't bother conquering it. His desire was to rule alone, even if his was the only world to exist.

Darkstorm dressed as a knight, using a mixture of rare cloth, interlinked chain mail and solid plating forged at the cost of his subjects. He carried a broadsword in his right hand, a heavy axe on his back and a small pistol holstered on his left hip. His dark hair had not been washed for weeks and had grown matted by sweat. He looked every part the dark warrior, but his face carried an arrogant expression.

He was not a pleasant man to know. His behaviour had been overlooked in the past because his domain was considered a valuable asset. However his desire to kill his master was well known and Trannis was sure to keep the rogue noble under scrutiny.

Darkstorm was an adept, a being capable of using magic but only to enhance his natural abilities. As a child his mother, one of the few of Trannis' servants to be a sorceress, had cast a spell to grant him immortality at the cost of most of his magic. He could never indulge in the black art of Sorcery like his mother, or become a mage, or even wield the deadly powers of a warlock. He was however stronger and faster than most opponents would believe, but due to the stress using such power placed on his body, he displayed only a small portion of this power. It was a curse that his son Morgdred had inherited. Of course even that small portion was awe inspiring to many.

"You called?" Darkstorm asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Darkstorm was a ruler in his own mind and despised the idea of following the orders of other. Even his beloved wife asked rather than commanded him to act; it went against his nature to be a servant. And travelling through the small magical corridors that had been used to replace some of the relay stations was not a pleasant experience.

Trannis smiled, not a pretty sight all things considered. Darkstorm was obviously uncomfortable about receiving a summons after being allowed to do as he pleased for so long, but Trannis enjoyed keeping his servants on a tight leash. Knowing Darkstorm, the pompous king had probably forgotten his place in the grand order of things as all Trannis' lesser servants tended to do sooner or later. It didn't matter, Trannis had found many ways to 'convince' his followers to remain loyal and obey without question. That would come later though; other matters demanded his immediate attention.

King Darkstorm regarded Trannis cautiously. Despite his attempts to stay calm he knew that the man was anything but feeble. It was said that many times Trannis constantly changed his appearance to that of an old man in order to confuse his enemies. The grey cloak hid most of his features, but his bony hands and wrinkled face had been deformed by more than just old age. Darkstorm suspected that the magic the Trannis wielded was so great that it had eaten away at his body.

"I didn't call Darkstorm," Trannis stated, deliberately ignoring the title. "I demanded your presence here immediately."

"Forgive me mighty Trannis," Darkstorm with mock reverence. "I live only to serve you."

"Tell me Darkstorm, how is your little dynasty progressing? I was so happy to hear of the birth of your second daughter." He waited for Darkstorm to look at him before continuing. Darkstorm was powerful, but he could be kept in his place with a few correctly worded threats. "Address me again in such a tone and I shall have your beloved wife killed and your son sold into slavery and destroy anyone stupid enough to follow you. I wonder how you'd fair if I sent word that you were to be treated as a maid?"

"Please forgive me," Darkstorm begged, "I meant no offence."

Trannis cut him off. He heard the voice of the seer in his mind and she saw Darkstorm's actions for what they were, a deception to relieve his anger.

"Good," Trannis said after a pause. "Perhaps now we can get down to business."

He turned back to his throne where Gloram was kneeling. The hooded figure only lowered his head to Trannis, but had not moved since entering. He was every bit as loyal as Darkstorm was treacherous.

"You may rise Gloram," Trannis said.

Gloram rose. No words, none were needed in order to comply with the invitation.

"Why are we here?" Darkstorm asked.

"I know that you are bored Darkstorm," Trannis said. "But if you do not show some respect, I will relieve your boredom permanently. That pathetic little empire of worlds you've been building outside of the territory I granted you and your kin remains independent only because I wish it to be. Never forget that."

He turned his attention back to Gloram. It was time to get down to business.

"As you know, my relay stations have been damaged. I want both of you to make your way here. Bring the forces you have been amassing with you. It's time to consolidate the Empire."

Darkstorm looked as if he wanted to protest, then thought better of it and stalked away to make preparations.

"It will be done," Gloram said before leaving. That was all he needed to say. His superior would deal with the details while Gloram continued with his mission to make the Troobian military the best in the universe.

"Oh dear, a bit of a creep wasn't he?" Solomos commented. "That was the last anybody heard of Gloram or Darkstorm, I wonder where they went?"

"So what happened to Trannis?" Noah asked, desperate to change the subject.

"For that answer we need to go to Frostfall," Solomos told him.

The Master-At-Arms was dead and nothing could change that. But that did not mean there was no hope. The energy residing around her was almost sentient. It could sense the pain of the planet around it as slowly the voices of many living things turned into silence. The Power reacted instinctively, pressed into action by the desires of the dying. It reached out and found one survivor, a young woman who had arrived days earlier to beg for the help of the Guardians. Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears, but now she would have her chance to make a difference as she was chosen to become the first Master-At-Arms.

With the Master-At-Arms selected new powers could be created. Some of the survivors of the initial assault were saved from death and transported to her location where they could be granted their new power. They were all students who drew their powers through the use of coloured crystals.

Being inexperienced in the way of magic and having only a rudimentary connection, they hardly noticed when the link was broken as the Power used the pathways established to form its own links. None of those it had selected would have held their powers for long. The colour and animal they had been given, as guides were wrong for them. However, the Power took what it found and after a short ritual, the first team of Power Soldiers were born.

They were soldiers only in name. Their powers did not come from the later accepted source and despite their appearance; they were not bound as a unit. Each had a form that they were familiar with to help them in battle; the only thing they were familiar with at the time was being Soldiers.

"You are now Power Soldiers, the future of this universe," the Master-At-Arms spoke.

Nobody knew how much or how little time had passed. When in contact with the Power, time itself could be manipulated. There was no sense of urgency as the ritual continued.

"Where the Guardians have failed, you will succeed because you are pure of body, mind and soul. The people of the Universe seek justice, not arrogance. Never forget that the only way for evil to succeed is if good men do nothing."

She turned to study her team. How had they come so far so quickly? For that matter, how did she know what to say? The answer to both questions was clear. The Power was teaching her what to say just as it was teaching the Soldiers what to do.

The sound of banging alerted her to a new danger.

"The time has come, the power is yours. You need only to invoke it."

"I invoke the Power!" the eight students said as one.

"Red Dragon!" Lacutus, the human leader of his team called.

"Green Minotaur!" Kytte, a younger black-haired human called.

"Purple Spider!" The reptilian Dionnah cried.

"Black Lion!" Darrott, the bird-like representative of the Tengarian Empire called.

"Yellow Griffin!" Tink, the blonde haired human called.

"Blue Unicorn!" Gran, easily the most powerful man within the group cried.

"Pink Firebird!" Ces, the amphibian most at home on the planet Aquitar, called.

"White Tiger!" Sorran, the white-haired hermit turned defender called.

Their clothes did not change with the exception of a small power coin appearing on a belt around their waists. On one side of the belt were the Blade Blasters they used in combat. On the other side was a small silver cylinder, which when activated became a Light Sword bearing the owner's colour. Each had an additional weapon they could call on through the Power, but the concentration required summoning such weapons meant they were used only when absolutely necessary.

"Trannis has discovered the magic I have worked here," the Master-At-Arms spoke. "He has sent his servants elsewhere, but he has not yet finished with this world."

"How do we fight him?" Red Dragon asked.

"The Power will guide you," she answered. "And should you need them, these crystals will allow you to summon awesome fighting machines known as Zords"

Gran grinned. "Let's get out there."

"Would you believe this moment set an example for just about any crisis that followed?" Solomos asked. "New villain, recruit some young people and give them power, the same thing happens in case of old villain escapes, devastation on a mass scale and never forget the old problem of cat caught up a tree."

"So did they succeed?" Noah asked.

"Watch," Solomos answered.

Trannis had been drawn back to the planet and for some reason had decided to investigate the abnormal energy readings himself. He had temporarily assumed an armoured form to make movement easier. It was a technique that had proven useful over the years, one that the Fallen had allowed him to access. When he took such a form, he lacked the limitations of his constantly fading body while retaining a large amount of power. If needed, he could transform back at any time.

He appeared near to where the Master-At-Arms had been and immediately sensed that something had changed. The troops he had sent ahead were gone; as were the huge land walkers he had sent to scout the planet. He was at once alert. A scream caught his attention and he spun around to be confronted by the corpse of one of his troops, although he would never know who it was because the armour was scorched beyond recognition.

Instinct dictated his next move as he tried to teleport back to the safety of his vessel. The planet was obviously not void of life, yet. Nothing happened, no matter how hard he tried and eventually he gave up. Something was going on and he had to be alert.

A burst of pink streaked across the sky and narrowly missed his shoulder. The air above him flashed brightly. He was under attack.

"Show yourself!" he bellowed. "Who dares to attack me?"

The pink shape moved back across the landscape, this time at a pace where he could make out the shape. It was a Zord, a Firebird Zord to be exact, which was partially solid, but mostly magical energy. On the top he could see a lone figure riding the mighty beast out of combat.

"We dare," a calm voice announced.

Trannis spun around to see seven figures in fighting stances, each with their Light Swords drawn and ready. Light Swords that marked them as Soldiers, a development by the forces of light. In a beam of pink fire an eighth member joined them.

"You dared to attack me," he accused.

"You are guilty for the destruction of untold worlds," Sorran answered. "The Guardians were willing to not get involved if you had left them alone. But instead you showed an evil heart; all evil must be challenged and conquered."

"Fools, I am more powerful than you could imagine. I need only to teleport back to Klattu-shaar and I will fry this world."

"Then we'll have to make sure you don't leave," said a new voice.

The Master-At-Arms stood ready for action, her long staff poised to strike.

"Full power now!" Lacutus called.

At once the Soldiers were transformed into their battle armour. Their suits changed into the tight fitting fabric used that would be used for all future Soldier uniforms. Red, green, black, yellow, pink, blue, and purple wore similar outfits. The upper body was white with a gold trim, as were the bands surrounding the tops of their gloves and boots. On the left breast they wore a gold image of their spirit animal. The material on their arms and legs were predominantly their individual colour. The belts were gold, with an intricate pattern around the buckles and a holster on each side. Their helmets were shaped to resemble the heads of their spirit animals as well. In their hands the Light Swords were replaced by a set of staffs in their colour.

Sorran was the exception. His costume was all white with gold and black gauntlets around the tops of the boots, gloves and on the belt. A black and gold shield covered his chest with shoulder pads bearing the image of his spirit animal on the center of the front. His helmet resembled the face of a tiger. In his hand was a long golden sword.

"Surround him!" the Master-At-Arms ordered.

The fighters surrounded Trannis and after forming a circle, joined hands. They raised their arms into the air and joined hands.

"We call on the Power," the Master-At-Arms intoned. "Destroy this villain and vanquish this great evil!"

Trannis was worried. The Power Soldiers were calling on powerful forces and now that he had unleashed his weapon on Frostfall, the planet was desolate, providing no organic life he could pervert to his ends. There were no useful minerals in the soil from which to construct weapons. Trannis knew that by his own hand he had placed himself at a severe disadvantage.

"This is the end of the line Trannis," Red Dragon told him. "Your evil ends here today."

Realising he could not escape, Trannis shifted his form slightly so he could improve his chances. His armour and skin merged and his muscle tone increased to provide extra strength. This was his chosen form, he preferred it because of the added protection his metallic body provided. A deadly black blade appeared in his hands. It had no highlights and seemed to swallow daylight into its depths. He simply called it Ragnarok.

The eight Soldiers fired their weapons, attempting to circle around Trannis as they did so in hopes of catching him off guard.

"Is this what you call playing fair Soldiers?" Trannis asked as he batted away several of their blasts. "Trying to sneak behind an enemy you already out number doesn't sound very fair to me."

"Since when have villains fought fair?" Yellow Griffin asked in response. "You can't expect us to follow rules that you wouldn't even consider."

A lucky blast from Sorran knocked Trannis off his feet, allowing them to concentrate their fire. Although Trannis refused to entertain the notion that anything the warriors did could cause him serious injury, their blasts were keeping him pinned and more vulnerable than he liked.

"Enough!" he cried suddenly as he released his sword.

The blade spun end over end towards the eight Soldiers until it was it connected with Green Soldier's Light Sword. Sparks flew as the evil blade absorbed the energy within the Soldier's weapon. The green clad warrior hurriedly powered down his weapon and watched as Trannis' sword fell to the ground.

In the instant the others took their eyes off their opponent to watch Green Minotaur, Trannis was about to scramble away from his predicament. Raising his hand he summoned his sword and attacked.

"Ces, look out!" Red Dragon warned as Trannis directed his assault towards the Aquitian.

For her part Ces was a highly skilled warrior with the aggressiveness and determination that set her people apart from other races. Before Trannis had started his reign of terror, Aquitar had been a planet of land dwelling life forms. It had been during his early assault that the villain had cursed the entire race so they could not retain moisture. He had then flooded their world, leaving the people with no choice but to adapt to their changing environment.

As Trannis approached, she pulled both her Light Sword and Blade Blaster. She caught his sword with her Light Sword and used a blaster to damage the weapon. When that failed, she dispensed with the weapons and opened up with a violent onslaught of punches and kicks. The villain stumbled back wondering where these Soldiers had found such strength. Could it be that Soldier was more than a fancy title? He turned and ran straight into Purple Spider.

Dionnah did not bother with weapons. She used her powerful limbs to strike at Trannis' armour. Her first few blows kept him off balance so that she could land kicks to his jaw and shoulder. Her left fist connected with his chin as her right hand, now bearing her staff positioned itself next to his chest.

Even when her opponent went down Dionnah did not relent. Her planet had not been as lucky as Ces's. Trannis had considered her world a threat and exterminated it outright. It was vengeance that had fuelled Dionnah's determination over the last few months and years. It was rage that created the adrenaline that allowed her to continue punching long after she had cracked the bones in her hand.

"Power Staffs!" Red Dragon ordered.

The long staffs started to glow. In an attack pattern they had perfected during their brief training encounters, the Soldier lunged forward. White Tiger and Green Minotaur drove the points of their staffs into the villain's shoulders, driving him to the ground and preventing further movement. Blue and Purple Spider were next, securing his ankles to the ground. Taking the opportunity to disarm him, Red Dragon slammed his staff into Trannis' wrist. The Yellow Griffin hooked the sword away allowing Black Lion and Pink Firebird to destroy it with their weapons.

Sensing he would not triumph against such determined opponents, Trannis allowed himself to grow. As his body expanded, he reached out and seized Purple and Black Lion. As his body increased in size he applied greater pressure to his captives, laughing silently as he felt their bodies explode.

The others looked up at the giant who had just destroyed two of their friends. They didn't feel anger, which would have blinded them to their task and what they had to do. "Powers Merge!"

Some distance away the Master-at-Arms had been wielding an old magic, binding Trannis with the lives of those who opposed him. It took a while before Trannis realized that he had been tricked. The students had never intended to win. Their combined attack was little more than a light show to enable the Master-at-Arms time to trap him in a coffin. The heroes disappeared as their bodies and souls were used to secure the emperor. Thanks to the eight warriors who had sacrificed their lives, Trannis was supposedly no longer a threat.

"There is no way their power should have held him!" Trelayne cried, outraged.

"Maybe they did have a little help," Solomos said, sparing Noah a nasty look. "But after your interference it was necessary to restore the status-quo."

"Ah, here comes the final nail, figuratively speaking." As Solomos spoke, they could see a group of aliens arrive. "They know what happened here and have probably foreseen the time and the manner of his disposal."

"Then they should know that a lonely coffin on a dead planet will not keep him imprisoned forever," Trelayne interrupted.

"Oh I'm sure they realise that. See, they built a barrier so that only an outside influence could release him. They even moved Klattu-shaar so that those surviving servants could not aid their master. And now, we move on."

Time passed again, revealing the story of the Masters and how they came to be the first of the Ancient Morphin Masters. They watched the early Grid Wars and Rita's defeat. They watched Zordon being thrown into a time warp and his preparations for Rita should she ever escape and the events surrounding the Power Rangers as they battled many foes, the scenes passing rapidly until they slowed for the defeat of King Mondo.

"And this is where your interference began," Solomos said. "Now we have to watch for the correct moment and then set things right."

Trelayne pouted at the news - he had things he would much rather be doing, while Noah looked on eagerly, hoping to learn more about the humans.

"Make yourselves comfortable boys," Solomos instructed, "the real show is just beginning."

**End of Part**


	2. Game Over Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or Power Rangers. They belong to their respective copyright owners along with all associated characters. Noah, Solomos, Trelayne and the other Externals are based on a number of sources, including the Q and the Continuum come from Star Trek the Next Generation, Trelayne comes from the Original Series episode Squire of Gothos. The start scene where they are staring into the bowl was taken from Jason and the Argonauts. Some Star Wars related concepts belong to Lucas Arts and the respective copyright owners. The One is based on a number of characters that belong to DC Comics, Image Dream Wave and Marvel. Jenga is the property of Jeremy Ray Logsdon, and Ma'erok is the main bad guy in Hellfire's abandoned New Enemy Saga and Age of Chaos storyline.  
Authors Note: This is a fanfic based in the COE multiverse and follows its own timeline. The events depicted take place between The Beginning and the end of the Minion saga. This chapter is intended as a review of the history of the COE universe as well as offering an insight into the Externals. This story is an Offshot Story, while its events are pertinent to future storylines and it is recommended that you read it, it can be overlooked.

**Game Over Part Two**

In another reality, unreachable by those that did not belong there or were not permitted to be there, a trio of watchers regarded the showdown between the Earth's heroes and inevitable destruction.

"And this," Solomos observed, "is where we come in."

His two companions maintained their silence, one urging the heroes to fight on while the other delighted in the prospect of destruction.

"Zeo Crystal!" Tommy cried. "Deliver this world from evil!"

Light burst from the crystal as the Red Ranger held it in position. Red, yellow, pink, green, blue, gold, silver, purple, white and black energy streamed into the hole. In places where the coloured energy mixed he could make out shades of cyan, magenta, crimson, navy and orange. The Earth seemed to tremble as the corrupted magic within was forcibly ejected by the Zeo energy. Pyramidas rocked, as its hull grew thin. Before long it would disappear and if the Rangers were unsuccessful, so would they.

"Keep going," Tommy encouraged. "Need to give this -- everything I've got."

He poured his soul into the crystal and was amazed when the energy increased. But despite his best efforts, the corruptive energy of the Sword of Ragnarok remained, kept in check by the Zeo Crystal's power, but capable of destroying the planet as soon as they relented.

"It's Time for a Gold Rush!" he heard Trey call, before a burst of golden light joined the power from the Zeo Crystal and chased the darkness from the Earth's depths.

"The effects of the Sword of Ragnarok are almost gone," Noah noted.

"Just a little help then," Solomos decided. "It's possible our interference lessened the effects."

"Jason, they're weakening," Trini said.

Jason nodded. He had hoped they would be able to wait until the Earth was totally cleansed before using the Great Power to reignite the planet's failing energy. Now though they didn't have a choice, the planet was too close to death to delay further. With luck they would finish before the Earth exploded. Otherwise, their actions would prove futile.

"Now is the time," David said. As White Ranger he knew when it was his time to take control. "Let our powers be one."

They clasped hands, allowing the Great Power to flow through them. They didn't need to direct it, the magic was sentient and knew what it had to do. As their hands glowed their respective colour, lines of energy emerged, linking them together, forming a golden ball of light at the very centre of their circle.

"Go," Jason whispered and the ball shot into the Earth.

For a moment there was no change, then slowly the lava seemed to calm and the quaking planet quietened. The Great Power and the Zeo Crystal worked in unison, restoring the shattered and corrupted lines of magic with new life bringing energy.

"It's not enough!" Aisha realised after the changes ceased.

All the power they could imagine and it was not enough to fix the damage. Every time it crossed with the power placed there by the Sword of Ragnarok, it was corrupted by the destructive energy. The Zeo Crystal was proving incapable of purging all the darkness so long as the sword remained intact.

"And this is where Trelayne interfered before," Noah guessed.

Solomos nodded, producing the energy that Trelayne had stolen and had attempted to hide from him months earlier. With a flick of the wrist, he allowed it to flow back to the Rangers where it belonged.

"This is it guys," Jason said as the Rangers and their allies gathered around the Zeo Crystal. Pyramidas was sinking; they had perhaps a minute to live. "One last time. We call on all our powers combined:"

The others had all powered down, the energy from John's ring now heading directly into the Zeo Crystal, his hands disappearing in the process.

"Red Ranger!"

"White Ranger!"

"Green Ranger!"

"Yellow Ranger!"

"Purple Ranger!"

"Blue Ranger!"

"Black Ranger!"

"Pink Ranger!"

"Zeo Ranger V - Red!"

"Gold Ranger Power!"

"Green Lantern's Light!" As John spoke the words, he felt the full power that he had always feared would corrupt him rushing to the fore. Years of forced denial were over as the power burst from the ring, adding to the powers already flowing into the Earth. The powers merged with those of the Zeo Crystal, removing all impurities from the Ley Lines as the Zord finally succumbed to the environment and they were plunged into a molten tomb as energy they had fed into the Earth erupted, inside the Dark Dimension.

"Wait a minute! I thought we needed to stop this from happening." Noah was angry. Months of waiting to put things right and now it had seemed a bit of a let down.

"We needed to ensure that time followed the correct path," Solomos corrected him. "You two messed about enough. Now, they have the power and the odds are even. If they succeed, they succeed. If they fail, then this universe was meant to die." He looked at the light bursting forth from the Dark Dimension. "I'd say they succeeded. Now, let's go."

"But I wanna see..."

Trelayne's protest was cut off by a sharp look from his elder.

"Your interference in the universe has caused enough damage. No more! From now on you and your little friend here," he spared Noah a glance, "are forbidden to meddle with with any of the games."

It was a considerable time later that Solomos had the chance to double check to make sure that Noah and Trelayne had not caused permanent damage. The fallout from their activities had been felt throughout the Collective. Many of the games that had been in progress had had to be ended prematurely. And each time a game was aborted, its outcome unclear, the Externals suffered. They were not supposed to interfere in the war between Good and Evil. Doing so meant they were not serving their purpose, which in turn meant the energies they required to sustain them were disrupted.

In order to guarantee their survival, the games had to be played to their natural conclusion. The exception was the game Trelayne and Noah had stumbled upon. That was not a game, it was a reflection of reality, which they had distorted. That was perhaps the one universe that would be allowed to reach its own conclusion, the only universe that had the potential to survive.

The crisis had caused some of the Externals to consider taking a role in the fighting outside of the Collective. Many were furious with Trelayne, who had already served two centuries of punishment. Noah had received a lesser punishment for not stopping Trelayne when it became evident that the other was about to break the rules.

As he stared into the pool, Solomos and was pleased to see that events were almost back to normal. There would be consequences of the changes that had been made, but there was nothing he could do without breaking the new rules. And to be honest, he just didn't care.

In the distance he could see Noah and Trelayne talking, no doubt discussing what to do with their time. The two Externals disliked each other, but given the inconvenience they had caused, they were the only company available. In a rare show of pity Solomos decided to offer a way for them to enjoy themselves without breaking the rules. He summoned one of the game pools that they and other could play with to their heart's content.

With that done and feeling exhausted from his rare show of responsible behaviour, Solomos decided to have some fun.

"I wonder how Amphiboids would cope if they were suddenly smaller than their prey."

**End of Part**


	3. Dark World

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, they belong to the Mouse. This is a not for profit fan series. The first few scenes of this story belong to Ellen Brand.  
Author's note: This story takes place in the Conquest of Evil Multiverse and shares its alternate time line. The alternate reality in this story is based in a universe similar to the one used in Power Rangers the Movie. In case anybody is wondering, the basis of this story was written by Ellen Brand as part of a series called Fallen Heroes, which was later picked up and abandoned by Hellfire.

**Offshot - Dark World**

Angel Grove,  
The Present

Imagine looking in a mirror and seeing yourself five years later. That you is identical in every way to you, but has been shaped by fate and destiny into the image you see. But now imagine that the image you are seeing is just one of many reflections in any one of an infinite number of mirrors. And while the image in neighbouring mirrors might look the same, each is just a little bit different. Now replace yourself with the universe and you can see that each reflection dictates a possible vision of the future. Each Earth, each universe only slightly different from the previous universe. But for two universes separated by a hundred or so barriers - a hundred realities apart - there what started out as a small difference could lead to massive variations. And then as the final change, imagine that this is not a room filled with many mirrors, but a single mirror, a single reflection of the future where the images constantly shift, fighting each other for dominance.

"Go Rocky!" Rosa DeSantos yelled. The Power Rangers of Angel Grove had attended a number of competitions and sporting events over the years. Football games, martial arts tournaments, baseball games, martial arts tournaments, broomball games, martial arts tournaments, and a few martial arts tournaments thrown in for good measure. This event, however, was different from anything they had done before. Rocky DeSantos, Blue Zeo Ranger, was currently entered in an eating contest.

"Good grief," Adam Park remarked, folding his arms over his chest. "What does that make, six pies he's put away so far?"

Rocky's latest girlfriend nodded. "Yeah, and the contest only started five minutes ago."

The contest was the result of a good-natured bet between Rocky and one of his classmates. The girl, Kittie, had declared that she could put away more food in a ten-minute period than Rocky could, and he had decided to call her on it. Currently, it looked to be anybody's game.

"I'm gonna be sick," moaned Tommy Oliver. "How does he DO that?"

The Zeo Rangers had turned out to cheer their teammate on. As the clock ticked on, the crowd watched in awe as the pie plates piled up beside the two contestants. Finally, the ten minutes were up and the final bell rang. Everyone was silent as the judges slowly counted the plates.

"The winner, with twenty empty plates-- Rocky DeSantos!"

Rocky got to his feet, clasping his hands over his head in the classic "boxer's cheer." Kittie stood as well, clapping him on the back.

"So what do you have to say for yourself, Rocko?" she asked. He grinned mischievously.

"When's lunch?"

Everyone groaned. "ROCKY!"

An hour later Rocky jogged along the pathways of Angel Grove Park, soaking up the warm sun. Jogging was his second-favourite form of exercise, right after the martial arts. And since he needed to burn some of the calories his recent snack had dumped into his system, he was taking a jog through the currently quiet park.

"This is nice," he thought aloud. "Why don't I do this more often?"

As if in response to his question, the sky above him began to cloud over, and a cold wind started to howl through the park. Rocky squinted, quickly raising a hand to shield his eyes. "Oh yeah," he muttered. "Now I remember." In the clouds above him, lightning started to flicker and was almost instantly followed by rumbles of thunder. Not more than a hundred feet away, however, Rocky could still see golden sunlight pouring down on the park.

"I've heard of local weather, but this is ridiculous," he grumbled. Eyeing the clouds above him carefully, Rocky tapped his communicator. "Zordon, this is Rocky. I think we've got trouble in the park."

"I see it," Zordon acknowledged. "I shall inform the other Rangers immediately. In the meantime, I would suggest you--" A large burst of static cut the inter-dimensional being off.

"Zordon? Zordon!" Rocky yelled. The wind was picking up now, and the Blue Zeo Ranger had the uncomfortable feeling that he was about to be caught in the eye of a hurricane. Suddenly, from the air around him came a ringing sound, like feedback from an amplifier. As the sound rose in pitch, Rocky clapped his hands over his ears, his face contorted in pain. Suddenly a bolt of energy shot from the clouds down to where Rocky was standing, knocking him aside as it tore off toward the city, a trail of fire remaining as he moved onward.

"I hear you Rocky," Zordon replied. "Whatever caused the disturbance is moving away from you at high speed."

"I saw it," Rocky announced. "Whatever it is leaves a trail of fire and was heading towards the freeway."

"You will need to intercept it, Rocky. Morph and use the Zeo Jet Cycle to pursue. I will have your fellow Rangers meet you there."

He was alive; with the pain he was feeling it was impossible for him to be dead. The explosive energy that had created the intense vibration, which had in turn allowed him to penetrate the barriers between his reality and his current location, had overloaded his powers.

"Gotta stop before I hurt somebody."

It seemed the speech center of his brain had been affected by the abuse of his powers; morphers were not supposed to have been use self-inducing amplifier circuits for a reason. Coupled with the flames that engulfed his suit and his apparent inability to stop moving, the momentum from his final attack pushing him onward, he was in serious trouble.

"Power down! Power down! It's not working, why is it not working?"

Things were moving too quickly, he needed to slow down, to think. But the power from his morpher, which failed to respond to his commands, kept him erratic, in a constant state of motion and incapable of rational thought.

"Need help... Zordon, must find Zordon. He should be here."

His morpher sparked, sending another jolt of energy through his body, forcing him to accelerate harder. He was in danger of breaking the barrier again and taking off to who knows where. Doing so would demolish everything around him and he realised he could not allow that. This was not his home, not the burnt out remains of a dying world that he had unintentionally left behind.

The Rangers pursued the burning mass as it accelerated down the highway. The flames that followed him were impossible to extinguish and when they saw him collide with a fuel tanker, they had feared the worse. The Jet Cycles had rapidly extinguished the fires by sucking vital air into their powerful engines and robbing the flames of vital fuel. An Ice Pellet from one of the Gem Coin Blasters that Billy had made available to all the Rangers, soon dealt with the incredible heat. There had been a terrifying moment when Rocky had disappeared into the cab to rescue the unfortunate driver. Adam had seen to the rapid evacuation of the minibus the fuel tanker had collided into. They had been fortunate that there had only been one fatality.

"Guys, that thing is moving," Pink Zeo warned.

The Rangers aimed their weapons, waiting for the creature that had caused so much destruction to attack them. All they heard though were the pained moans of an injured man.

"Zordon, we need a Power Box," Red Zeo said.

The Emergency Protocol Survival Pack, referred to as a Power Box by the Rangers, appeared in his hands and he used the advanced scanner inside to lock onto the strange creature.

"He's human," he confirmed, causing the Rangers to relax slightly although they didn't put their Zeo Pistols away; the scan had revealed he was human, not friendly.

"Got find Zordon, Rangers, future... need Zordon," they heard him say as he crawled from the burning wreckage. "Need help, help!"

"Calm down!" Adam commanded, his voice harsher than he intended. He didn't want to harm this strange looking human, but they needed him to relax while they decided what to do. It seemed the slightest movement on his part caused the air around him to burst into flame.

"Zordon, we're bringing him back to the Power Chamber," Tommy decided. "Have Alpha, Trini and Billy there." He thought and then added: "Make sure they have a fire extinguisher."

Meanwhile Tanya had approached the stranger and was trying to strap a communicator to his wrist. He instinctively recoiled from her touch, leading to another burst of super heated plasma.

"Hey, calm down," she warned. "Nobody will hurt you."

"Oh my god, you're them, the Power Rangers!"

The Zeo Rangers glanced around nervously. He knew them, a fact that placed him at a considerable advantage.

"You are them, oh boy I heard all about you."

"We're going to teleport you to the Power Chamber," she explained, holding up her hands, as he was about to nod. "Just - try not to move."

"Let's go," Tommy said at last and the five Rangers along with the mysterious newcomer were teleported back to their headquarters.

"How is he?" Tanya asked some hours later.

When they had teleported him back to base, the Rangers had placed his body in a pressurised chamber. From there they could control the bursts of explosive energy that emerged whenever he moved.

"He's sleeping," Adam told her as he adjusted the controls.

Billy, Trini and Adam had been working hard trying to analyse the stranger and had already confirmed that he was indeed human, a badly injured human.

"He's a Ranger," Billy had confirmed after a few tests. "I don't recognise the signature of his powers, but whatever they are he is suffering from abusing them."

"You mean he's evil?" Jason asked.

"Negative," Billy answered. "His powers have been altered to function outside of their original parameters. He is suffering from the side effects."

"He's also not completely human," Trini said, causing some confusion. "His mind is human, he contains human DNA and some human organs, but at some point he's been altered, possibly following an injury."

"Ai-yi-yi, every bone in his body has been lined with metal, his joints have been reinforced and his muscles replaced with synthetic rubber."

"You said he had some organic parts?" Kat asked.

"His heart, lungs, a simplified digestive tract, part his brain - he has some sort of processor in there - and the inner portions of his spinal column are organic. His entire body has been augmented to survive the forces he experiences while morphed."

"Wait, there's something else," Billy called. "As you know, the cellular structure of every human has a unique chemical makeup determined by their planet of origin. It's not a genetic variance, but reflects the differing conditions of many human worlds."

"And your point is?" Kimberly asked.

"This Ranger was born on Earth."

"So who is he?" Rocky wondered. "And how did he end up like this?"

"I'm running his identity through the computer," Alpha told the Rangers after their guest had been stabilised. "If he is from Earth, then I should be able to locate his individual energy pattern within the Morphin Grid."

There was silence as the lights on the computer flashed.

"Alpha, can you find anything?" Trini asked.

"His energy signature is incompatible with our scans," Alpha told them.

"I was afraid of this Alpha," Zordon rumbled, "this Ranger may come from Earth, however he does not come from this Earth and that is why the computer cannot identify him. He is either from an alternate reality or a different time, reconfigure the search translate his personal signature into base readings and then find a human with similar results."

"This could take time Zordon," Alpha warned as with Billy's help, he set to work.

He started to jerk, arms flailing wildly as he thrashed on the bed. The Rangers moved quickly, managing to hold him down long enough to secure his limbs with heavy metal plates; anything weaker would have lasted mere seconds against his struggling form.

"His powers are in flux," Billy said, watching the monitors as heart and blood pressure monitors continued to rise and fall erratically.

"He's going into metabolic shock," Alpha told them.

"What's metabol-- what's that?" Kim asked.

"His powers are almost exhausted but refusing to shut down, so they're feeding on whatever fuel they can find. In this case: his body."

"If we can't find a way to stabilise him, he could die. And given how his morpher is responding, the lack of a living mind could send it into overload and take a large chunk of the planet with it," Billy confirmed.

"One morpher could do that?" Tommy asked.

"Our mysterious friend is drawing his powers from a source similar to the Morphin Grid. If his powers overload he could collapse the local grid and wipe out everything in the vicinity," Zordon warned. "We must act quickly Alpha, prepare for a Forced Demorph procedure."

"Zordon that's too dangerous," Billy warned. "The backlash could just as easily trigger an explosion."

"There is little choice Billy, we cannot risk a full scale overload."

"Don't worry man, Alpha and Zordon know what they're doing," Tommy said.

Billy tried to smile, but it was difficult to share Tommy's optimism. There was a good chance that whoever was inside that suit would perish during the procedure. Of course there was a good chance that he was already dead and that the powers had simply locked into place to protect a corpse.

"Activating now," he said resignedly as he pushed the series of buttons and watched as a sickly green beam of energy washed over the prone figure.

"Zordon, something's wrong!" Trini cried.

The readings were going haywire as the beam continued to sweep over the mysterious Ranger's body, a body that was slowly vanishing before their eyes.

"Alpha, stop the process immediately. I have made a serious error."

Alpha obeyed as Billy and Trini rushed forward to examine him.

"Zordon, he's still experiencing metabolic shock," Trini warned. "We have to continue."

"Negative," Billy told her. "Our original hypothesis was erroneous."

"Billy?" Tommy prompted.

"When I instructed Alpha to use the energy probe, I had hoped to short circuit his suit's power-down mechanism," Zordon explained.

"The problem," Alpha continued, "is that his suit doesn't have a shutdown sequence."

"You mean he's trapped inside his uniform?"

"I would postulate at this time that his powers are an intricate part of his body. He is a part of the Power and when Zordon and Alpha tried to demorph him, he was transferred back into the Morphin Grid."

"That is correct Billy," Zordon said. "If we had continued to use the beam, he would have disappeared to wherever his powers came from. And without a means to call them back, he would have been lost forever."

"His powers are still killing him," Tanya pointed out.

"Alpha, try to stabilise his powers. If we can control the fluctuations and dampen the energy waves we might be able to save him. If we do not stop the overload there will be nothing left of him to save."

"Yes Zordon," Alpha said.

"Billy, do you have any idea how he ended up like this?" Trini asked.

"The only logical explanation is that it was self inflicted, the pertinent question would be why?"

After hours of considerable effort, the Rangers had finally managed to pierce the strange armour and had injected a strong relaxant. With his body sedated, his powers had switched into standby mode, allowing the Rangers to study him.

"Why would somebody build a morpher that couldn't be turned off?" Rocky asked. The others were wondering the same thing.

"Desperation," Tommy suggested finally. "He's been in some sort of battle, so maybe he had to morph."

"Ai-yi-yi, I'm reading additional life forms," Alpha reported. "He has Triforian DNA!"

"Who is this guy?"

A different Earth,

It was a war that had not been expected. Daizayten had emerged before Rita Repulsa and had set about conquering the Earth. He had been opposed by six young people guided by Zordon of Eltare. But despite their victory that first day, the war had never really ended, the darkness had just changed its form.

In the end there were only so many times that they could hold the power of Daizayten at bay. When Daizayten started to call in other weaker demons to aid him, the Rangers had been overwhelmed. That had been a good four years after the first battle, by which time Daizayten had found a way to strip away the advantage of the Ninjetti powers. They had adapted, using different power sources, but in the end they had lost, badly.

Before they had had the opportunity to fully regroup, Daizayten had ordered a full assault and they had fallen. Indeed only Justin Stewart had survived for more than a few years following that day. Daizayten, a demon summoned by the Cult of Amuk, had turned his attention to the universe at large, leaving Earth in the hands of the lesser demon Razak.

Justin had lived on, his powers keeping him in a state of near paralysis, his body shattered following a fall. He should have of his injuries, but fate had decided to punish him for a while longer. He never knew who had pulled him from the brink of death that day or who had spent the next two years watching over him as he slumbered. During that time the medics had done their best to save him. His broken bones had been set and reconstructed using metal plates, screws and supports to hold them together. At the time it had been hoped that he would recover enough to one day walk with a brace. That was not to be though and a year later Justin Stewart died of an infection caused by his injuries.

That was when the doctors had turned their attention to the room's other patient. While Justin had been a Power Ranger, even though he had only held the power a few months, he had never been expected to free the world from Daizayten's grasp. He had been a source of information, which the various leaders of the Underground had used to further their cause. Most importantly, he had given them the history of the Power Rangers and the identity of all the Rangers he had known either personally or by reputation.

That information had allowed them to seek out the individual they could use. They somehow managed to trace the families of former Rangers, seeking out likely relatives they could use. One particular tale led them to Marcus Oliver. Marcus was a distant relation of Tommy Oliver, a Power Ranger from Angel Grove. Since Marcus was alive and in theory possessed some genetic traits with Tommy, he made an ideal candidate.

After he had been located, genetic material had been extracted and mixed with that of a member of Katherine Hilliard's family. After further genetic grafts, including alterations to make the child age faster, they made a weapon they called Nathan Oliver.

In the years that followed they watched the child grow, shaping him from an early age into the hero that Earth needed. His parents had unexpectedly died after he was born. Sometimes they would throw the child into the simulator for days on age, pushing him until he collapsed. Had Zordon known that in the future his choice of humans would lead to an innocent child being turned into a weapon, he might have reconsidered. No child deserved that sort of life. When Nathan was old enough to survive in the world outside of the facility, he was placed in the sewers under Angel Grove with strict instructions of what to do next.

From the sewers he moved to a small township just a few kilometres from Los Angeles. There he would put into practice all the things he had learnt in order to stay alive. As the years passed Nathan grew from a scrawny child into young man ready to make his next move.

Faking an identity had been difficult for Nathan. It wasn't easy to just cook up a new set of papers, but finding a way to get them placed in the records of the few reliable data sources proved problematic. The resistance movement was geographically based, each area relying on a local database. If you weren't on the database progressing into the resistance cell's inner circle was next to impossible.

He had been aided by the mass computer failure that had followed the invasion. The Internet had remained although much of its data had been lost. Using skills one of the kids in Los Angeles had taught him, he had managed to create a new identity on a national level and then inserted fractured details onto the local networks. It had worked and he had been able to claim that most of his details had been wiped. He was never fully trusted, but he had access to the information he needed

He kept the name Nathan Oliver although he didn't understand its importance. He moved around the country, aiding the various resistance movements as he made his way back to the ruined city of Angel Grove where he came into contact with the Underground. They had taken him in and given him shelter. In return for a few jobs that he did for them, he was mostly left alone. He laid low, biding his time while he tried to find a way to address a problem that those that created him had never managed to resolve: how to repair a damaged morpher.

The Turbo Keys had been recovered from Justin's body; other morphers had been retrieved from a number of sources including a form Blue Ranger's sock draw. An expedition into the mountains outside of Angel Grove had located the damaged Zeo Crystal and they had recovered the individual items needed to access the power of the Morphin Grid. Nathan had never asked how his benefactors were aware of all those things and they had never seen fit to enlighten him.

The fact remained that in his hands Nathan Oliver held the powers used by all of Earth's former protectors. He was for all intents and purposes the most powerful Ranger in history. Yet for all the power sources at his disposal, he was powerless because he lacked the technology to use them.

The solution when he had finally discovered it was not at all pleasant. It had been a chance discovery that had led him to retrieve the battered remains an Alpha Unit in the sewers under Angel Grove; at the time he hadn't known what it was called. Somehow when the Power Chamber had been breached to retrieve the Zeo Crystal, some of the lower storage chambers had been washed into the city's sewerage system. Over the years humans had passed the wreckage, but none had realised its importance.

Alpha Eight was the machine's official designation, but Nathan called him Tweeki. It had limited functionality, but then it was little more than a processor, sound board and a scavenged security camera. It had been able to explain to him about the Power Rangers and for the first time he had somebody that could guide him.

"You have enough powers here to conquer the planet single-handedly," Tweeki told him. "You have a Zeo Crystal, Power Coins and a set of Turbo Keys. That's enough to make a whole team of Rangers."

"But who do I ask?" Nathan pondered.

"Not so fast there," Tweeki cautioned. "First you have to get some of these thinga-me-jiggies working first."

With Tweeki to help him the work had started to turn the broken pieces of the past into working morphers. It was difficult since he had never seen a working model and there had been the additional problem that the parts that had been damaged differed from one morpher type to the other and the components were not easily found. In the end he had been forced to split the transformation devices into groups and then cannibalise the individual units to make one or two working models. When that failed he was forced to combine the different technologies to create one device that could be deemed functional even if it was a positive health hazard.

"If you use that thing you risk blowing a whole in the planet," Tweeki had warned.

The android had been occupied with other tasks and had not had the opportunity to oversee Nathan's activities. When he did, every warning sensor in his body had been triggered. The crystalline receivers used to channel energy into the Turbo Keys had been combined to provide a single output for the multitude of devices Nathan had somehow wired together. It appeared that the young man had broken just about every safety regulation regarding morphing technology, overloading a subspace pocket in order to disguise the immensity of his project. In the end all but one component had been assembled and it was this one that had kept Nathan from attempting to use the completed apparatus.

"You cannot morph, Nathan," Tweeki had insisted. "Without fitting an energy regulator this monstrosity could explode and kill all those you're trying to save. And if you fit the ones you have you still won't have a complete shut off; the powers consume you."

"So if I choose to become a Ranger?"

"You would cease to be human. Your body would be permanently changed into that of a Ranger."

"Okay, so that's out of the question. We need another plan Tweeki," Nathan declared, looking at the robot speculatively.

"You're not asking much, are ya?" Tweeki's speech processor was unreliable, constantly changing dialects and languages, sometimes so bad that even Tweeki couldn't understand the words emerging from his speaker. It was not according to the machine an uncommon fault. An earlier model had featured an accent and speech patterns that had a tendency to slip from Brooklyn, to an almost feminine tone, to a very robotic sounding voice. Then he noticed the way Nathan was looking at him. "Bidi-bidi-bidi. Oh no you don't buddy, hands off the metal."

A short time later Alpha wished that he had been left in the sewer.

The work continued as the months and years passed. Occasionally they would check some part of the morpher, but never allowed it to fully activate. Nathan's body had been reinforced during his early years with materials intended to protect his bones and strengthen his muscles. The result was that he was partially inorganic. He had suggested that his altered body he could survive the abusive energies they were attempting to use. Tweeki had replied that it was more likely that his organic parts that would be stripped away, leaving only the inorganic parts.

Nathan had been given the DNA from a wide selection of Rangers. The idea was that all the positive attributes of those Rangers would combine to make him a better warrior. One of his donors had been Lord Trey of Triforia although how the scientists gained that sample was unclear. That DNA would prove to be the answer to Nathan's problem, although not in the way he had expected.

While Razak had been charged with the task of ensuring the total domination of the planet, there were places he had not bothered to monitor. In one such place a new team of Rangers had somehow appeared. They had been destroyed quickly, but it was that development that had caused Daizayten to declare war on the Rangers' potential allies on other worlds. Earth had already fallen as far as he was concerned, he would not allow others to interfere before Razak had completed his task. One of the planets he had named was the devastated planet Triforia, where the siblings of the former Gold Ranger had undertaken a perilous mission to recover the Golden Power Staff and ensure that it was placed in the hands of a successor.

With the Golden Power Staff, a symbol of the Gold Ranger powers, in their possession, they had made a desperate journey to Earth. But before they had been able to pass the Golden Power Staff on, the Furies, a team of semi-human warriors who had been created by Daizayten to serve Razak's army, had arrived. The battle had been brutal as the deadly warriors had seemingly enjoyed the suffering they caused the Triforians. The siblings had been forced to split up.

The Furies had pursued the siblings around the Earth. They had concentrated on finding Trion, not realising that it was Trianna who carried the Golden Power Staff. By doing so they allowed Trianna and Nathan to meet.

Trianna had been dying when Nathan had found her, and it seemed that nothing he had attempted could stem the flow of blood. Before he finally left her, believing that she was dead, she had given him Golden Power Staff, somehow sensing that within his genetic makeup was sufficient DNA to prevent the side effects that previous Earthlings had endured. It had been enough to give Earth a second chance.

Meanwhile the Furies had taken to have a little fun hunting down the human resistance. They served as the Razak's trouble-shooters while secretly keeping an eye on the lesser demon for Daizayten.

It was just weeks later that Nathan was forced to test his new powers. Tweeki had found a way to phase the energy flowing through the morpher, meaning that when used at its minimum setting, he could force a shutdown. It was not a real solution and should he ever need more than the minimum of power, he would still find himself in a dangerous situation. It had started with a morning briefing with the Underground's leader.

"Captain Oliver, reporting for duty, Ma'am," Nathan saluted as he walked into the briefing area. Major Carrington nodded.

"Where's the rest of your team, Captain?" she asked curiously.

"Here we are, Ma'am," replied Matt Corbett, rushing in at the head of the group. "We got a little held up. Adelle was having some problems with the kids, and he asked for our help."

Major Carrington nodded. "Understandable. Now that all six of you are here, I have your newest assignment. A shipment of food and medicine will be headed into one of the clinics in town by Route 35. I need the five of you to raid it. Here's the list of necessary food and medicine. Remember, this is a raid. In and out, don't stop. I know you all have grudges against the Empire, but this is not the time to indulge them. Understood?"

The five younger soldiers nodded. "Yes Ma'am. We understand," Nathan replied for all of them.

"Dismissed, then." With salutes, the six left the briefing room.

"So how are we going to attack this, fearless leader?" Anna Diamond asked. Anna had lived in Reefside when the first attacks had started. She and a few of her school friends had been helped into hiding in the woods surrounding the city by the Red Ranger shortly before he had been killed. Those who had stayed there had eventually managed to get into the networked shelter provided by Underground, the largest resistance cell in the area.

"I'm not sure yet. Tasha, what's the area like?"

The woman known as Tasha shrugged. "It's on the outskirts of town, and the road passes through a narrow canyon. I figure we can probably hit them when they pass through the narrowest point. Their weapons will be useless, and with the way our stunner bolts ricochet, we'll be able to hit them even if we aren't aiming at them."

"I have something new to try," Kat Manx offered. She was a blockade runner who along with a small team had managed to reach Earth when her own planet had fallen. Now she served as a technician and data interpreter. She was older than the rest of the team by more than fifty years and in addition to training the humans to fight back, had helped deal with some of the personality conflicts that had arisen during the early years. She pulled out a set of round metal balls. "Short wave disruptors. It should help you get close."

Franklin Park, another Angel Grove survivor nodded. "It's worth a try."

"Sam?"

"We should probably attack from all sides, at once. They'll never know what hit them and we can be gone before they wake up."

Sam Collins was from North Valley and an accomplished hacker. He had been there when his school had been destroyed. He and his family had fled, but months later they had been found and his parents had been struck down. Sam and a few of his friends had taken refuge in an underground cellar. They had remained there until everyone had left and had missed the rescue parties that had swept through just days later. It had taken weeks before they had found somebody willing to help them after that. As young as they had been at the time, it was a wonder that they had survived.

"All right," Nathan decided, pulling the team into a huddle. He was the youngest member of the team by at least twelve years, yet they listened to his instructions. "Here's what we do..."

"See it?" Franklin whispered, hours later. Nathan nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go. Nice and easy." The raid went exactly as planned. The guards were disabled almost immediately, and the five began to unload the supplies they needed from the transports. Nathan looked around grimly. "This is almost too easy."

"Don't say that!" Anna cried as six columns of light marked the arrival of the enemy. "You'll jinx us!"

"Too late," Nathan gulped as he laid eyes on Razak. "Scatter! Get that stuff back to the Underground!"

"What are you going to do?" Franklin cried back.

"I'll try and keep him busy," returned Nathan, turning to face the newcomer.

"Is that really him?" Franklin asked as his eyes picked out the lead villain.

Sam nodded, he remembered watching as the creature before them had torn his father apart in front of him. After that he had spent days in a stupor, unable to call for help when it finally arrived.

"That's him, that's Razak," he confirmed as they quickly departed with the supplies.

"Your friends are gone, little man," Razak said as he watched them vanish.

"Good, that means I won't have to explain things," Nathan said coldly. "Let's rock!" The two began to circle each other.

"You're a fool to stand against me," Razak sneered, watching Nathan warily. "What do you hope to accomplish?"

"I already did it," Nathan chuckled. "My friends got away while you were concentrating on me."

"So noble, just like the Power Rangers. Oh, I forgot... they're dead. My master destroyed them."

"Not as dead as you think," Nathan shot back, still looking for an escape route.

"Your end is near, human," Razak laughed, slowly advancing on the youth who for some reason seemed unafraid. "Perhaps you should start begging now?"

"I'm not going to beg, the Rangers never begged..." Nathan told him defiantly.

Mentally Nathan was berating himself for being so stupid. He wasn't ready to face this villain now; he needed more time to complete the repairs.

"How would you know kid, you weren't even there when my master destroyed them?"

"Power Rangers never give up!" Nathan told him. It was something Tweeki had told him and he had come to believe it.

"No, they don't. But being brave didn't help them stay alive now did it? Being smart and running, never looking back... that would have allowed them to last a little longer... perhaps." He chuckled. "If you ask nicely, I'll make sure you don't suffer the way they did."

"That's not going to happen," Nathan snarled. "The Rangers of the past are gone, now you have to face something new."

"Really, I don't see any Rangers coming out of the woodwork, just a child that doesn't know when to run. I have the power of Daizayten running through me and you are nothing," Razak warned.

Nathan didn't move, staring down his opposition. The challenge had been made and he wasn't going to back down.

Razak chuckled. When he had been turned loose upon the world he had expected the humans to fall before him and beg for mercy. That had not happened. They had fought him and in doing so their suffering had only been prolonged. It was a game that he had enjoyed playing since it had made him stronger.

Still he had been surprised at how the humans continued to resist despite the inevitable fate that awaited them. In some cases he had been forced to destroy entire islands when the population came too close to finding a weapon to use against him.

But now the game was coming to an end. He had heard rumours that some of the cells that had managed to hold out against his hordes were planning to launch a strike against him, believing that it was still the capital of his master's empire. While he welcomed the bloodshed such an attack would cause, it meant they were getting braver.

So it was time to end the little contest by destroying all opposition. He would use whatever force they sent against him and turn it back on its creators. The resulting fires would burn the world and he would dedicated the sacrifice to his master.

While Razak was gloating, Nathan had been studying his foe. The villain was different to how he had imagined him to be. Perhaps this is not his true form. His helmeted face showed a few scrapes from various attempts to stop him, his confidence showed that he believed that he was in full control of the situation, that he alone rule this world.

Nathan had visited several of the concentration camps in recent years and knew that if anything Razak's hordes used methods of enforcement that were harsher than any medieval regime. Torture and public executions were frequent, strict work quotas were brutally enforced as sectors not meeting his constantly increasing demands were ransacked.

Since being summoned by Daizayten, Razak had picked a new town every six months and had obliterated it as a show of power. Even now he maintained that tradition. Usually he chose his target at random, but this time he had decided to prove that nowhere was safe from his justice.

"Tell me before I kill you, what is your name?"

"Nathan Oliver."

"How very fitting. The would-be Power Ranger shares a surname with one of those that failed to protect this planet. Ah yes, I remember now, you're the anomaly that appeared a while ago. My forces searched the entire Underground to learn your identity. They should have guessed that you were using false documents. Even when they hacked into the Underground's computer network they couldn't find a trace of your identity."

Nathan just smirked back. If he was going to die here, today, then he would do so knowing that in the end he had managed to keep something from the villains that had destroyed his world.

"Maybe the Underground doesn't record all members," he offered.

Razak laughed. "Impossible, it's an important part of the initiation that all members have their names checked. Nobody can escape the name search, that's why I had them make it part of the initiation." He waited, allowing Nathan to grasp what he was suggesting. He could sense the moment the boy understood as his head snapped up. "That's right, this whole game that has been played out for the last decade has been directed by my master. Think about it, who else would have dared to organise a resistance against him? He founded the resistance so I could track down the troublemakers, the Underground started as his idea, but has always been my plaything; I've found it to be an amusing game."

"You shouldn't worry about who I am," Nathan told him. "You should worry about what I can do."

"And what can you do, fire a gun?" he asked. Was that hope in his voice? Was Razak really that bored? "No, that couldn't be it, you're too confident for that. Maybe... no, impossible... those powers were destroyed years ago."

"Not destroyed, just damaged," Nathan explained.

"And now you plan to use them? Don't waste your time human, the Rangers of old relied on those powers and the last one could barely hold his uniform together. They offered no protection when he needed them the most, they failed."

"Well, they weren't perfect," Nathan admitted. "I tried to fix them and failed. So I improvised."

"So you're smarter than you look," the demons said, some of the former Rangers' personalities leaking through. "Let's see if you have what it takes, shall we? Take him my minions!"

It was a good way to gauge Nathan's skill before he finished him. He observed the youth as he fought. The boy-- no, Nathan was a man and demonstrated a great deal of confidence. He was impressed that while Nathan fought hard against his soldiers, he also used them to keep the stronger warriors at bay.

"Jump Starter!"

Nathan concentrated on summoning his transformation devices. In the end he had combined the technology of the Turbo Keys and the Golden Power Staff along with the devices. Individually the morphers had been too badly damaged, but he had been able to cannibalise them to create a single working unit.

On his back he had strapped what Tweeki had designated a Power Box, which he had gutted and turned into a container for the Turbo Keys, an old morpher, a Power Coin, and the sawn off shaft of the Golden Power Staff. His attempts to use the Triforian power source had failed. A thick cable led from the Power Box down the left arm to where he had placed one half of a Zeoniser he had gotten somewhere. A similar cable ran down the right arm to the other part of the Zeoniser and drew power from the Zeo Crystal he had stored in subspace. Silently he brought the two parts together, activating the complicated circuit and transforming himself into his new form.

Razak's eyes narrowed. The boy had access to Ranger technology and had clearly combined the damaged morphers to make a single working model, which meant that this child was indeed the last Ranger. He observed that this costume was a dark shade of red with a grid of thin green lines for contrast. It was also armour as opposed to simple fabric. The design was reminiscent of the Phantom Ranger's with a shoulder shield that was a combination of the Green Ranger's outfit combined with the Gold Ranger's uniform. In his left hand he held a long rectangular shield and in his right hand he carried a blaster.

Nathan charged at the grunts, his modified blaster unleashing bolts of frozen air, shattering their armour while leaving them mostly unharmed as he shifted from one position to the next. His shield made an effective battering ram when he tilted it to act like a wedge, forcing the various soldiers out of his way. Lacking in raw strength, Nathan had concentrated using his knowledge to his advantage.

On the downside, he had been unable to duplicate the reactive protection that he believed was an intrinsic part of the previous powers. That meant that he was vulnerable should one of his opponents land a hard blow, but having some armour was better than nothing in his opinion. Besides, the shield did help to make up for the rest of his suit's shortcomings.

He was a blur in motion, the five sets of Turbo Keys having contributed to his capabilities and his Triforia enhanced senses gave him the ability to anticipate his opponents' moves. His handheld weapon came with a handy extendable club, an effective means of dealing with opponents. He easily avoided the augmented aliens' attacks, using his side arm to take out multiple foes.

"Impressive," Razak commended as Nathan rendered the last trooper unconscious. "But there are always more."

A large explosion signalled the arrival of a second squadron, all prepared for action. Nathan used the safety catch on his pistol to switch its ammunition to an alternative type. When he fired it, the weapon unleashed a widespread burst of high frequency sonic waves. The troops placed their hands to their helmeted heads as Nathan took advantage of a flaw he had uncovered in their design; it seemed that while their armour was immune to sonic weapons, the correct frequency could cause feedback in their helmet's audio circuitry. It was an easily fixed problem, but it took time for them to counter the effects.

Razak watched all of this, his face schooled to not let his enjoyment show. His master had declared the Power Rangers of Earth were gone. This proved that Daizayten was not infallible afterall. Nathan was showing through his fighting that he was a worthy challenge, perhaps the distraction he needed from the tedium of ruling the Earth. He would have to defeat him, there was no question of that; it would not do to give the Underground a sense of hope. Perhaps he could leave him alive and then have the fun of hunting him down over a few months before finishing him off.

Or perhaps there was another way to get some enjoyment out of the occasion. He concentrated on his right arm, forcing one of his many toys to appear. This was a weapon capable of decimating armies fuelled by his hatred.

"Do you know what this is Boy?" he asked, pointing the blood stained iron club towards his enemy.

Nathan shook his head. He had never seen anything like it.

Razak smiled cruelly, this was the weapon that had taken out hundreds of humans with a single blow. It was a complete anomaly, a sign of his twisted nature - for it was well known that magical demons were supposed to be susceptible to Iron. Regardless, if Nathan was not careful then history would repeat itself with him.

"Time to join your predecessors in death," the villain said. He launched a ball of black fire from the club.

Nathan moved and the ball shot past him. When Razak fired a second time, Nathan moved again, this time making a point of returning to his previous location once the blast had passed him. The villain unleashed a third shot and a fourth. A whole volley of blasts that tore up the surrounding area but failed to connect with the Ranger.

Finally Razak let out a roar of triumph as one of his shots caught Nathan's shield, which promptly disappeared, allowing another shot to strike him in the chest. It was all over, Nathan had proven an inventive opponent, Razak would not tire.

Nathan remained standing, his uniform crackling as the disruptive energy tried to short out his powers. He had stopped moving and as Razak looked closer, he could see that the younger man was laughing.

"What is so funny?" he asked. Then his aura seemed to darken as he realised that Nathan was still transformed. "So you managed to survive one ball of flames." he mused before firing again. "You won't be so lucky this time."

The fire hit Nathan head on and accomplished nothing. The Ranger remained standing, showing no acknowledgement of the impact. It seemed the weapon no longer worked.

"You underestimated me," Nathan told his foe. "I didn't just repair these powers, I unified them. I made sure I knew how the Rangers had fallen, I asked the witnesses you left behind, and I made sure I had a way to avoid it. The Power Rangers of old aren't gone; they'll never be forgotten. These powers are the link to the past, the legacy that won't die; you can call me just Ranger." Under his helmet Nathan smiled, he enjoyed the look of confusion as Razak tried to decide whether that revelation mattered. "Tweeki, are you done with the programming?"

Despite his best attempts to find substitutes, there had been some components he had been forced to use from the old morphers, components that placed restrictions on his abilities. He had hoped that when he had installed Tweeki's motherboard in his helmet, that the android would be able to rewrite the programming. So far he had had little success and they were now behind schedule.

"Don't get ya knickers in a knot Nathan," Tweeki replied, his accent mostly restored after several attempts to find a new speech processor. "There ya go, safety protocols are off."

With the safety systems offline, Nathan was no longer protected from his collisions. On the plus side nor were his opponents.

"You can't harm me," the dark warrior boasted, "I defeated all the Rangers, I know how Rangers fight."

"You know how the Power Rangers fought," Nathan reminded him, speeding forward.

As he moved, he could sense the friction around him increasing, burning him as his armour glowed from the heat he was generating. At his speed he would normally have activated a shield to protect himself and those around. But against Razak, Nathan planned to use those side effects to his advantage.

"Full speed!" he cried, extending his fist as he ploughed forward.

He watched with some satisfaction, as Razak seemed to realise something was wrong. When the Ranger's fist connected, all the built up energy was unleashed, allowing Nathan to drive his fist into the villain's chest. The demon staggered back, a huge hole visible on both the front and back of his armour. His inhuman eyes widened as he looked at Nathan in disbelief. How had a mere human managed to harm him?

"You've still lost," he told him. "The freedom cells around the planet will begin bombing soon and I will use the destruction to cleanse this world in the name of my master."

"I don't think so," Nathan answered. "This encounter has been transmitted without sound since the moment I transformed. By now every cell in every nation knows that there is hope. They won't destroy their own world if there's a chance to reclaim it. They're not going to attack us, not when the Power Rangers have returned, and certainly not when the creature responsible for so many deaths, is about to be destroyed."

"You've won a single battle, not the war!" Razak told him, gesturing to the open wound, which even now was oozing something. "This can be fixed. Next time we meet..."

"There won't be a next time," Nathan told him. "This ends here, today! With you gone, the rest of the world will have a chance to fight back." He looked at his smoking hands. "This world isn't for invaders or the phantoms from the past. It's time to give the people of the universe a reason to keep fighting and the people of Earth the knowledge that they can fight back."

He charged again, this time with his hand clenched drawing on the power inside of it, reaching out to those who had come before him, the spirits of the past Rangers. He could almost feel their presence as they lent him their strength. This was an abuse of the Power and would surely destroy years of work. In the end though he had no choice; for Daizayten to fall and the universe to be restored to peace, Razak had to be vanquished. Only then could the fight begin against the true villain.

"Full power!" he cried, as he circled the villain, creating a vortex of energy that rippled through the fabric of the universe. Purple lightning flashed around the destructive funnel as he continued to build up speed. At some point the lightning started to strike him, sending his powers into overload.

He didn't stop, the vortex reached critical mass and Razak was growing ever more desperate, but Nathan maintained his efforts. And then when his body was on the point of collapse, he stopped running in circles and threw a punch directly at his opponent.

Razak's helmet was ripped apart as the villain was flung far away, but Nathan did not have the time to comprehend his victory for his actions had had unexpected consequences.

When Minion had almost destroyed reality, he had unwitting created a dimensional weakness. Small whirlpools of folds in time and space were scattered around the focal point of the instability: Earth. And although for the most part these invisible doorways only transported people across space, there were a few that reached beyond the boundaries of time and even reality. For the most part they were accessible only from their origin point.

Nathan Oliver's unexpected use of his full powers had managed to access one such doorway, wrenching it open from the far side as the overload pushed him onward. Like a magnet the swirling vortex attracted his uncontrollable powers and pulled him towards it. Unable to stop as he was thrown forcibly through the exit point, which had reacted violently to being opened from the wrong side, he had torn through the streets of a very different Angel Grove, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. That had been the point at which the Rangers had found him.

Present

"We don't have a choice," Tommy said after the facts had been reviewed. "Either we deactivate his powers or they'll explode, destroying the rest of the planet with them."

"Affirmative," Billy agreed sadly. He didn't want to be the one to propose killing of an innocent, but a single life against the whole planet? It was an uncomfortable position and a decision that could not be put off.

"There is always an alternative," Zordon told them. "In this case I believe we must trust that the Power will protect him. Alpha, time has run out, reinstate the probe."

There was a whoosh of teleportation as a few of the Rangers, unwilling to kill under any circumstances, chose to leave.

Earth, another reality

For a long time there was silence. Then the screaming started. Large black hands ripped from Razak from the ground. The human had hurt him, badly but it would take more than a mere mortal to defeat one of Daizayten's underlings.

"The Power Rangers are history!" he snarled as he heard the explanation again, thoughtlessly killing two minions who crossed his path. "Justin Stewart died in that chasm. Whatever this mysterious thing was that attacked you, it was not a Ranger." He paused. "Why has this so-called Ranger not been brought to me, he should have been in no condition to run after fighting you?"

"We can't find him," one of the Furies admitted. "When the Ranger-- er thing attacked, he disappeared. He is beyond our dominion."

"Nobody is beyond our reach," Daizayten admonished her, fixing Razak with a cold glare. "Find him, wherever he went. He has given the people hope. When we show them his head on a spike, they will once again be hopeless. In the meantime perhaps we should give the humans a respite. No, that would only allow them to plan for the next uprising. Continue as planned until they have all been wiped out!"

Deep in the slums of New Tech City, a new resistance movement had started. Prompted by the reappearance of a Ranger, others had been inspired to take the war to the invaders. Aided by Kat Manx and her associates, along with a more recent visitor, the resistance movement had gained the means to fight back.

Razak had the advantage that Daizayten would never allow one of his servants to be defeated, and freedom was still not a certainty. But they would fight and they would continue to win back their world little by little. Because they were Rangers and Rangers never give up! As the planet awoke each day they could hear the words of defiance on the lips of its new heroes.

"SPD Emergency!"

The Power Rangers had returned.

Prime Reality  
Present

On the table Nathan's body flickered as his powers were forced to shut down. As the Power left him, his body fought to survive the shock. The energies he had wielded when morphed were trying to draw him back into the depths of the universe from which they came. Just as his body was about to give up, a small spark of energy ignited once more. He started to glow, his powers rebuilding him from the inside out, creating a new life from the broken man. His aura flared as his armour appeared to vanish, leaving Nathan Oliver to sleep off his ordeal.

"Quickly Alpha, place him in a Healing Capsule," Zordon instructed.

"Will he be okay, Zordon?" Kat asked.

"I do not know Katherine," Zordon admitted. "The molecules within the tube will help his body to heal. After that we will need to monitor him closely."

Alpha and Billy locked the capsule's door and turned on the tap, allowing the tube to fill with a healing solution. A series of monitors came to life as the sealed capsule started to work on its newest occupant.

"There is nothing more you can do here today Rangers," Zordon told them. "Should anything occur, Alpha and I will contact you."

The Rangers nodded and teleported away, many of their questions remaining unanswered.

Earth, another reality

One event, a singular occurrence and an empire that had taken years to build, crumbled. Daizayten's forces led by Razak had been on the verge of totally dominating the Earth, when his humiliating defeat by Nathan Oliver had inspired others to make a stand. Equipped with new morphing technology, the resistance had started to fight back. Where there had been one Ranger, now there were hundreds and their numbers had steadily increased. Sure their powers had been limited, but their strikes had been precisely aimed at bringing down the freshly established infrastructure of his government.

Now just a few years later the situation had reverted to a classic hero and villain scenario. He had been driven back to Earth, which was currently under the control of those that had routed his forces and he was the one attempting to retake control. There were even rumours of a galactic task force being assembled to remove the last vestiges reign.

"My Lord?"

He turned towards the newcomer, hiding his displeasure at the interruption. Razak and his servants were gone, destroyed by Daizayten's hand for their failure to turn the tide of the war. The seven warriors before him though had not failed him yet. They were collectively known as the Furies, but he had been more than amused to discover that they had a very interesting heritage.

Jamie Lee-Scott, widow of a former Red Ranger, led the Furies. Jamie had escaped the initial strike against the Earth along with several friends. In desperation, realising that Earth needed warriors capable of battling the threat of Daizayten, they had been offered the chance to receive new powers, not realising that the transformation would turn them into servants of darkness.

Lillian Dubois, Katarina Petrianos and Christina Sweeting, all one-time associates of the Power Rangers were also victims of the dark magic that stripped away their good intentions and left behind a group of callous hunters. Their skills were now honed in the service of Daizayten, Christina's psychic abilities helping them to find those that defied their master.

"Speak," he responded.

"We caught one," Jamie told him, sounding pleased with herself.

And so she might, he thought as he looked at the prisoner kneeling before him, the fibrous whip belonging to Katarina wrapped tightly around his neck. Capturing a Ranger is never an easy task.

"Have you interrogated him?" he asked, already knowing that they would not have done so without his permission; Christina's method of extracting the information she needed could be described as violent mind rape.

"Not yet," Christina answered.

"Do so."

There were few pleasures in Daizayten's existence. Watching his underlings perform their duties, especially those occasions when they truly enjoyed what they were doing, was one of those limited treats. So it was with abject glee that he watched the sadistic grin on Christina's face as she mentally tore her way through their captive's mind, not bothering to search delicately through the surface thoughts before delving deeper. She knew what she needed to find and threw all other concerns aside, tearing into his thoughts like a dagger.

Satisfied that he did not possess the information they needed, she withdrew from her victims thoughts, basking in the pain she had inflicted and the feeling of intense power she had held for a moment. Had she wanted to she could have stopped his breathing or forced him to claw his own eyes out. It was a feeling of absolute control and she loved it.

"Well?"

He was impatient to learn what she had discovered.

"This one knows nothing about Nathan Oliver. However, the humans are building their forces for a final push. Commander Cruger is already on Earth."

His position was growing ever more fragile as each day passed. While he as the demon was more powerful than any army they could raise against him, the humans had the advantage in terms of numbers. They couldn't harm him, but they were relentless.

"There is one other thing," Christina continued, waiting to see if he permitted her to continue. He nodded and she did so. "The scientist that gave them their powers - Manx I think - has deduced that the energy distortion at Oliver's last known location was caused by a rift in time and space."

"He used a time travel device?" he asked. "No, he had no reason to carry one. It must have been an accident, he somehow created a time rip when he overloaded his powers. This is good news," he decided after a long silence. He had been thinking of spreading his evil beyond the universe. Where better to go than the place where he could seek revenge on the child that had dared to defy him? "Find out where he went. And Christina... get rid of that filth."

The weeks had passed and with the aid of SPD, the Sirian Planetary Defenders, the humans had regained control of their planet. His empire was gone and with it his ability to control the course of history. The humans were organised, wielding weapons and powers capable of harming his forces. Daizayten didn't believe for a moment that they could hurt him, but his kingdom no longer extended beyond Angel Grove. In fact his kingdom ended outside of his fortress where the humans had positioned themselves for a prolonged siege.

"The rebels have broken through the outer perimeter," one of the other Furies reported from outside the door.

It was happening sooner than he had hoped, but the uprising was expected.

"It has been decided," he announced. "All Furies report here immediately. We shall meet this army and crush them."

Outside the fighting was growing louder. It was clear that the rebels would soon break into his throne room and he welcomed the chance to finish them once and for all.

"Get into position," he instructed.

The heavy doors exploded as SPD pushed their way inside, the A-Squad and B-Squad secured the perimeter while C-Squad and D-Squad concentrated on their prime objective.

"Daizayten, you are under arrest for crimes against the people of Earth," one Ranger called out; they could not arrest him for invading the planet since that was not a criminal matter.

"And so comes the end of the Underground," the demon responded. "Welcome humans, to the final battle."

"A-Squad, B-Squad, flanking positions," Anubis Ranger ordered. "C-Squad, take him down."

"Yes Sir!" the Rangers responded.

The fight was on as Daizayten faced not one, but twenty Rangers as the five heavily armed C-Squad Rangers stormed his position. Armed with heavy duty weapons it was clear that it they had the opportunity, they could cause him further damage. While they distracted him, a member of B-Squad, the team that lacked addition armour besides their Ranger uniforms, tried to attack from behind.

"Manners, look out!" Anubis Ranger called.

Jack Manners, Red SPD C-Squad Ranger, was a moment too slow and was caught as opened fire. His sister Z Manners was quick to come to his aid, opening fire on the villain. Sky Blake, Sydney Cole and Bridge Russell were at her side, Bridge using the covering fire to drag his team's leader out of the way.

"A-Squad, move in. C-Squad, get Manners out of here," Cat Ranger ordered.

Vic, Regis and Taylor quickly obeyed, throwing a series of flash bangs to disorientate their target while Ray and Mandi hit him from behind. While Taylor was one of the strongest Yellow Rangers on Earth, the process to turn Mandi back into a human had left her with the enhanced limbs of one of Daizayten's minions.

Meanwhile C-Squad had managed to get their injured teammate out of range and had taken up firing positions ready to attack again. When they saw Daizayten recover, they opened fire, praying that their allies would take the hint and move out of the way. By that time it was too late for Mandi and Vic, both of whom had been blasted by the same weapon Daizayten had used against Jack. Regis managed to roll clear and Ray moved behind the villain. Taylor was too slow as Daizayten grabbed her and used the Yellow Ranger's body as a shield.

That was the cue for the remaining Rangers to attack, any pretence of wanting to capture the demon forgotten. No punches were pulled, no quarter given as the punched, blasted and stabbed at the villain, their blows lacking the results that the last Ranger to attack him had generated.

"Sword of Anubis!" Anubis Ranger cried, energising the bladed weapon.

And that was when the final battle began...

**End**


End file.
